Listen
by CopperSunsetx
Summary: Sequel to Snowflake. Firecrackershipping down the road. Ever since Hoenn, Maylene & Candice have had a rather strained relationship. But, with new mishappenings fueling the fire, things can only go from bad to worse.
1. Chapter 1: Minutes

**Heh.**

**Let me start by saying I'm sorry. I'm very very very sorry for getting this out about.. Um, four months late.**

**I didn't kill this story. _NO._ This idea has been pounding in my heart during those four months.**

**I've been feeling completely uninspired lately. Like, _completely_. What actually got me back into writing this story was from watching so much Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's. That's what got me inspired to write some more.**

**Then, my best friend and editor Barbara reminded me of my story. "Remember that sequel you were gonna write?"**

**And I was like, "...Shit."**

**So I hauled some ass and got it done.**

**Phew.**

**I wrote this in about four days. I'm sorry if it seems a little rushed. BUT IT'S DONE. AND IT'S HERE.**

**Welcome to the sequel to _Snowflake_, _Listen_!**

**I hope you enjoy after this much anticipated wait!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon, nor the characters portrayed in this story. Except Evelyn, I own her. **

* * *

><p>"Meeting adjourned."<p>

It was a balmy morning in Hearthome City. A meeting between the Sinnoh Pokémon League had just finished. The meeting mostly focused on the trip to Hoenn; was it a success, was it a failure, would the team be alright with taking another trip. The group mostly chimed with successes, except for the grumbles from Maylene and Candice about how it would've been better if one gym leader was out of town that week. Besides that, they had to admit they had a good time. Candice couldn't keep her eyes off Volkner throughout the meeting. Ever since they returned to Sinnoh, Candice had been trying her hardest to maintain a stable relationship with the blond. Maylene had to admit, she was impressed—Candice had never been so motivated in her life to keep a relationship steady. This proved she really loved Volkner.

The group had pitched in suggestions for the next trip, Sevii Islands winning by almost a landslide, the only person rejecting the idea being Bertha, of course. After that, there wasn't much to be said. So, Cynthia let them go.

Maylene, Gardenia, Candice, Volkner, Roark, and Flint were loitering outside of the Pokémon Center, laughing and reminiscing with one another.

"…Then Winona was like, 'Flint, why is that Feebas on your leg?' and I look down, and there the damn thing was!"

The group hooted with laughter once Flint finished telling his story. Flint, looking impressed with himself, smiled smugly, looking at Maylene, who was on the phone across the room on a bench. He snickered, "How many times has she talked to him?"

"Too many." Gardenia teased, loudly enough for the fighter to hear. Maylene ignored them, pressing the phone against her ear. She sighed gently. "Sorry, those were my friends. What were you saying?"

"I was saying I got better at Mortal Kombat." Steven said, chuckling lightly. "Maybe I can beat you when I come up to visit."

Maylene snorted, "I'd _love_ to see you try."

"I'd _love_ to see you."

The magenta haired leader blushed, staring at her shoes. Today, she was wearing canvas sneakers with skinny jeans and one of her training tank tops. Ever since she got back from Hoenn, her style outside of the gym has become much more casual—she can proudly say she owns four pairs of jeans!

"I miss you, Steven." She whispered into the phone. "I miss you so much more." came his quick reply. Maylene smiled, "When are you coming again? I wanna make sure I have my surprise face ready."

"Two weeks."

Maylene frowned, "That's so long."

"I know, but I'll be there before you know it." He paused, some voices muffling in the background. Steven returned back to the phone a second or two later. "I'm sorry, I gotta go. There's a challenger here."

"Oh, no, it's fine. Kick some ass!" Maylene giggled. Steven chuckled, "I'll try. I'll call you later."

"Alright. Bye." She clicked off the call, sighing heavily. She hadn't talked to her boyfriend all day, and she only stifled a couple minutes with him.

At times, she missed him severely. The distance was too much to bear. But she remembered that he was coming to visit soon, and she'd be able to be in his arms again.

"Maylene!" A voice called. Maylene looked up, seeing Candice waving to her. "We're gonna get something to eat, you wanna come?"

"Um, yes? Why would I ever say no to food?"

Candice giggled, "You're such a fatty."

"I know, but what can you do? Let's go."

The loitering teens ditched their spot in the Pokémon Center to enjoy a late lunch at one of the many eateries in Hearthome. There was Chez Élouise, a little French restaurant next to Fantina's gym—they all assumed the eatery was influenced by a certain purple haired foreigner. The guys immediately turned their noses up to the restaurant; it lacked grease and football, obviously the only things they ever did with each other—eat, watch, and play sports.

Maylene, however, being the designated tomboy, offered this small diner on the outskirts of town called Johnny's. It wasn't girly, or fancy, so no one disagreed. Once they made it there, they were immediately seated, their orders taken, and conversation quickly began.

"So Candice," Gardenia said, swirling her straw around in her glass of iced tea, "Your birthday's coming up!"

Candice raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, it is. Why bring that up?"

"Because I have no idea what to get you." Gardenia deadpanned. Candice sighed, "I honestly don't know what I want. If anything, just get me food."

"But that's Maylene's gift." Volkner chimed in, the group snickering. Maylene shot a fierce, magenta glare at the blond.

"You gotta want _something_, Candice." Flint said. Candice sighed again. "I really don't know! Just get me whatever you want!"

"So if I got you a hot date with Blaine…" Flint let himself trail off, smirking smugly at the brunette Ice trainer.

"Then Gardenia would get jealous."

The group again hooted with laughter, Gardenia sarcastically laughing along. "I forgot how funny you were, Candice."

She shrugged, snuggling up next to Volkner. "I don't see how you can forget, I'm _hilarious_."

The conversation pursued, their food coming out, the sound of forks hitting plates taking over the sounds of laughter. While Maylene was enjoying the quality time with her friends, her phone was steadily buzzing against her thigh. She slipped it out once during lunch, seeing that Steven had called two times. Gardenia glanced down at her friend's lap, nudging her with her elbow. Maylene looked up, still nibbling on a chicken wing. She didn't realize she forgot to put her phone away.

"Has Steven been calling you?" The Grass leader asked lowly, the others talking loud enough to ignore their conversation. Maylene nodded, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Twice."

"That boy seriously misses the snot out of you." She chuckled. Maylene sighed, "I miss him too. He'll be here in two weeks, though, so I'm excited. I'll call him back later tonight."

Gardenia nodded mutely, crunching on her salad. The remainder of lunch was talkative and fun, just like Maylene had hoped. The boys decided to head back to their respective gyms and the league building, leaving the girls with a few hours to kill. They decided to return back to Hearthome to watch a contest, and maybe do a little bit of shopping in Veilstone. Since they were gym leaders, the workers let them in and gave them any choice of a seat. They took seats in the middle and waited for the contest to begin.

"Welcome, one and all, to the Hearthome City contest!" Marian exclaimed.

"God, she's still as loud as ever…" Candice groaned, covering her ears.

"Our contest today will be slightly different from our other contests! Today, contestants will use _two_ Pokémon, making this a double competition! Contestants today are competing for the Hearthome ribbon, and since we're in the birthplace of the Super Contest, the ribbon will be given by none other than Fantina!"

Fantina appeared on the platform next to Marian, throwing up her hands dramatically. "Let's make today's event _très __spectaculaire_! _Bonne chance_ to all the competitors!" She gave a quick twirl, the audience going mad.

"Is she ever in her gym?" Maylene asked, "It seems like she's always here."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she _lived_ here." Gardenia snickered.

"On with the show!"

"Let's not delay! Now is the acting competition, where trainers have one minute to wow our judges! Our first contestant is Jennifer of Sandgem Town! You're on!"

A curtain quickly opened, a girl around their age running out onto the arena, the crowd hooting and hollering with excitement. Her raven hair was tied up in pig tails, her aqua dress stopped around her knees. She gave a smug look to the judges, whipping out two Poké Balls and tossing them into the air.

"Mismagius! Ampharos! Let's do this!"

Her Pokémon escaped their Poké Balls in an array of blue stars, Ampharos landing gently on the ground, Mismagius circling around it, holding the stars in place with Psychic.

"Alright, Mismagius, use Psychic to bring those stars in the air!"

Mismagius followed its command, sending the stars air born, spinning them around in an oblong circle.

"Ampharos, use Thunder Wave!"

Ampharos leaned its head forward, yellow waves escaping from its horns. The waves trapped the blue stars in place, causing them to buzz and glow. Mismagius let up on Psychic, the stars now completely on their own.

"Use Psywave, Mismagius!"

A rainbow light shot from the gems along its collar. The attack hit the stars directly, making them glow rainbow colors. The two Pokémon stopped for a moment, basking in the awes they were receiving from the crowd.

"Ampharos, finish this up with Thunder Punch!"

Electricity began to circle and attach to Ampharos' blunt fist, pouncing into the air and punching the stars stuck within the Thunder Wave, causing them to break into rainbow glitter chunks that rained down on the audience. Ampharos landed with a graceful thud, Mismagius resting on its shoulder.

"Wow! A wonderful start to our competition! Judges, what do you think of Jennifer and her performance?"

Back in the stands, there were three different reactions from the gym leaders watching.

"That was so cool."

"That was so lame."

"When's this gonna be over?"

Gardenia crossed her arms, "I thought it was really pretty. I'm rooting for her."

Maylene snorted, "How can you root for her when she's the only one that's gone? She was way too cocky, did you _see_ her?"

"Who cares, she's gonna win."

"Oh, really? Wanna make this interesting?"

"You're on, pinkie."

"If Jennifer loses, you have to clean my gym for a month; _top_ to _bottom_."

"Fine! If Jennifer wins, _you_ clean _my_ gym."

"Deal."

"I'm really tired," Candice whined, "and I wanna go see Volkner."

"Oh, shut up and watch." Gardenia and Maylene hissed in unison.

A friendly rivalry had just been concocted.

XXXX

The contest ended with a close battle between Jennifer and a boy named Harvey, Jennifer losing by just a hair.

Maylene was flaunting her bragging rights as they exited the arena. "My gym better be _spotless_, dead grass." She chortled. Gardenia rolled her eyes, "Yeah, whatever. She was close to winning!"

"Snowflake?"

Maylene's cocky aura quickly melted into discomfort and anger.

She recognized that voice.

She didn't want to.

But she knew who it was.

She glanced at Candice, who glanced right back at her, the same thing crossing their minds.

_Why the fuck is _Brawly_ here?_

He jogged over to them, smiling innocently—the same smile that made Maylene go gaga. "What're you guys doing here?" The heartbreaker said, standing in between Gardenia and Maylene. The three girls were silent, obviously uncomfortable. Maylene hugged herself, biting the inside of her lip. _Why is he here?_ She thought, _why does he have to be here?_

"Obviously we just watched a contest. And now we're going home." Gardenia hissed. She wasn't too fond of the Hoenn trainer—the pain he caused her best friends affected her, too.

"Oh." Brawly said, "Maybe we could hang out!"

Before Gardenia could reply no, Candice gained a voice.

"Why are you even here?"

Brawly blinked, looking down at his shoes. He was hurt, but none of them really cared.

"I'm visiting Uncle Wallace. I didn't think I'd see you guys here. We should hang out, catch up!"

Uncle _Wallace!_ Maylene thought. Wallace & Fantina have been married for a few years now. This meant that Brawly was somehow related to the gym leader…

…which meant he'd be travelling back and forth from Hoenn to Sinnoh.

"Sorry, we're busy." Candice snapped, pulling Maylene & Gardenia out of the lobby by their wrists, not even uttering a goodbye.

"Why did he have to be here?" Maylene growled, snatching her wrist out of Candice's grasp. Gardenia shrugged, pulling out a Poké Ball. "Who cares, let's go somewhere else." She let Torterra out of the device, jumping onto its back. "Hop on!"

XXXX

Trying to avoid Hearthome City as much as possible, Gardenia commanded Torterra to run them to Veilstone. She suggested a little bit of shopping before having to head back to their respective gyms; and a bit of shopping would lead Maylene & Gardenia to finding the perfect gift for Candice. Their first stop was the large mall in the middle of the city, composed of 64 different stores. The mall was famous for its Pokémon performances every other hour, and it's delicious food.

"So Candice, what do you wanna do for your birthday?" Maylene asked. The three girls were currently in a clothing store, browsing at random items.

"I dunno," the Ice-type trainer shrugged, "I kind of want a formal party. Maybe then I can see you being a girl again, Maylene."

"Well you better keep it hush-hush, in case Brawly decides to pop in." Gardenia said, rolling her eyes, "He has some nerve asking to hang out with us. He's caused enough damage."

"Agreed. Oh! This dress!" Candice squealed, reaching for a striped zigzag teal, white, and gray one shoulder dress. She was grinning ear to ear, hugging the ensemble tightly. "Must…have..." She purred. Maylene laughed, "I don't think I've ever seen you so excited over something like this."

Candice whipped her head around, looking at Maylene with wicked eyes. "Do you _see_ this! It's _gorgeous_!" She looked at the dress between her hands. "I'll at least try it on." She decided, bolting towards the dressing room.

"Wow. It's just a dress." Gardenia thought aloud. Maylene shrugged.

"IT'S NOT JUST A DRESS!" A voice shouted from across the store. The two knew who that voice belonged to.

* * *

><p>After some much needed girl bonding time, Candice purchased her desired dress. It looked amazing on her, and she wouldn't stop squealing about it. They parted ways after being chased by teenagers shouting about gym battles. Even <em>they<em> didn't understand why.

Maylene shut the door to her gym, making sure to lock it. She ascended up the silver stairs to her bedroom, the forest green walls making her cozy and content. She quickly undressed and threw on an oversized t-shirt, wrapping her hair into a short, blunt ponytail. The fighter quickly crawled into bed, shutting off her light.

And for some reason, her phone buzzed.

She groaned softly, exhaustion taking over her body. She blindly reached in the direction of her desk, feeling around for her phone. She grabbed it and flicked it open, the blinding light making her wince. Blinking in front of her was a notification of a text message. She clicked on the notice, the sender's name blinking in bold letters.

Steven.

Maylene instantly smiled, quickly opening the message.

_Goodnight Maylene :)_

The tired pinkette blushed, typing a reply. _He's too sweet._

_Goodnight Steven :D_

And with that, she shut her phone and tossed it back on her desk, quickly falling asleep.

Maybe sleep would help her forget that she saw that blue haired _jerk _again.

XXXX

It was Sunday morning, and Maylene let herself sleep in. She decided to close up the gym for the day, and spend some alone time in town. Maybe she'd be able to have a conversation with Steven that didn't last six minutes or less.

Maylene was already well on her way to the department store, ear buds firmly in her ears. The early sunshine was raining down over the city of Veilstone, a fair breeze rolling, and the sky only partly clouded. It was a beautiful day, better than it usually was, and today was her day, and nobody else's. Just as she was changing the song, a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Good morning, Maylene!"

The pinkette looked up, very surprised to see Cynthia walking towards her, hand in hand with Riley. She was thrilled to see they were a fairly sturdy couple, and even more excited that Cynthia looked happy and more relaxed. She was wearing a lilac tunic with black leggings, her long, platinum blond hair tied in a braid going down her back. It was odd seeing her in other clothing besides her black work attire.

"Oh, good morning, boss." Maylene smiled cheerfully, extracting one ear bud. "I didn't think you took strolls through town."

"Well, I _do_ have some free time, yanno." Cynthia chuckled. "I'm glad we caught you, we wanted to ask you something." She gave Riley's hand a quick squeeze.

"Okay, so you know how Candice's birthday is coming up?" Riley began. Maylene nodded, so he continued. "Well, I thought it'd be fun to throw her a surprise party. Fantina said we can use her villa, and everyone's invited. Gardenia offered to call up a few of the Hoenn gym leaders to come up too, so it should be a pretty rad party. Now, here's where you come in."

Maylene didn't know if she liked where this was going.

"It'd be great if you could distract Candice the day of her party so she doesn't think something's up. All you'll need to do is spend the day with her, and bring her to the villa. The party's formal, so hopefully you can come up with something that'll involve her getting dressed up. Are you up for it?"

Maylene sighed gently, the hopefulness in her best friend's brother's eyes making it impossible to say no. She didn't know why a piece of her wanted to say no anyway. Maybe it was because she hadn't hung out with Candice alone ever since they'd gotten back from Hoenn. Maybe because it'd be awkward. Or maybe because she didn't know what she'd say to Candice.

Maylene sighed again, looking up at the couple. They were both staring at her with pleading eyes. "Fine, fine, I'll do it."

Riley gave her a half smile, "Thanks so much, Maylene. Make sure to be at the villa at seven, and give us a warning when you're there. Let's hope this can go unnoticed!"

"Right, gotcha. I'll see you guys then."

The three gave their goodbyes, parting in different directions. Maylene continued her stride towards the department store, a new problem taking over her mind. Candice's birthday was just five days away. She had to start planning what they'd do like they were kids again.

This wasn't going to be easy.

XXXX

She walked into the department store, which wasn't as busy as it usually was. It was about noon, so the rush would flood in in an hour or so. Better to get there early, right?

Maylene spotted a little boutique to her left, automatically thinking she could kill two birds with one stone in that store—find a dress, _and_ a gift for Candice.

She waltzed into the store, racks of dresses and shelves of trinkets catching her eye. Her first order of business was to tackle the present, since finding that would be harder than finding a dress.

"Maylene?"

The fighter looked up, surprised to see Volkner, who looked just as surprised to see her. He seemed to be juggling two Pokémon plush dolls in his hands, quickly setting them down on a nearby shelf. Maylene snickered, "Hi, Volkner. What brings you out here to Veilstone?" She asked, "Better yet, what brings you to this boutique?"

Volkner chuckled, "I'm actually here because…" He scratched the back of his neck, "…I'm trying to find Candice a birthday gift, and I have no idea what to get her."

"I would've thought you had her gift already wrapped up or something."

"You thought wrong. I'm clueless when it comes to what she wants. She doesn't give me specifics, so I'm stuck."

"I'm just as stuck as you are. Wanna work together to see if we can find her something?"

Volkner shrugged, "Sure. I didn't really plan on jumping from store to store for a gift, and having someone from the female species should make things a lot easier."

"That's what I'm here for." Maylene smiled. She motioned the blond to follow her towards a showcase of jewelry. He didn't protest, leaning against the showcase, staring intently at the jewelry. While he was having a staring contest with a necklace, Maylene decided to look at perfumes and plush toys, while still keeping a close distance.

"So how're you and Candice doing, Volky?" Maylene asked, picking through the toys. It would've been so much easier to find something if they were organized by types or something.

"Why does everyone insist on calling me Volky?" The blond whined. "We're doing better. To tell you the truth, I don't really trust her as much as I used to, thanks to that little trip to Hoenn. Candice seems like she's trying her best to make things right, so I can't help but give her the A for effort."

"Can I help you?" A small, plump woman behind the jewelry display asked, causing the blond to look up. She was dressed in a deep purple ruffled dress, a pair of ruby red cat eye glasses perched on her nose, her blond hair wrapped up in a messy bun. The nametag on her dress read 'Evelyn'. Volkner gave her a weak smile, "I'm just looking for a gift for my girlfriend."

Evelyn gasped dramatically, "You're proposing!"

"Well, not re—"

"What're you doing looking over here?" She barely gave him a chance to think of a reply. "Come with me! I'll show you our best rings! By the time we're done here, she won't be able to say no! Well, I don't see why she'd say no to such an attractive boy like yourself, but we'll make it _impossible_!"

"Wait—!"

Evelyn came from behind the counter, pushing him to the opposite side of the showcase. Maylene tried her best to hold in her laughter, deciding that something that funny shouldn't be ruined by her rescuing him. So, she left him to his ring hunt—even though he didn't intend to buy an engagement ring for Candice.

She continued browsing aimlessly, hoping something would pop out at her. She was between a pair of silver heels and a burgundy sweater. Just then, her phone began to buzz on her sweatshirt pocket. She fished it out and flipped it open, not bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Maylene."

Her lips curled into a soft smile. "Hi, Steven."

"What's up?"

"Nothing really. I took a day off, came down to do some shopping for Candice's birthday. What's going on with you? I miss you."

"I miss you too. Nothing's going on with me either. I had a bunch of meetings to go to, and I went to Iron Island earlier this morning. I thought about swinging by and seeing you, but I had to hurry back."

Maylene frowned, "This is going to be the longest two weeks of my life."

"I know, I know. But it'll go by fast, I promise."

"I'm holding you to that. If it doesn't, I'm kicking your ass."

"Is it sad that I know you could do it?"

"Nah, it's just sad that I wear the pants in our relationship."

Maylene turned around to see how Volkner was doing with the store clerk. He was still trying to fight her off, casually taking a few steps back as she pushed another ring towards him. He said a few last words to her, before turning on his heels and walking back to where Maylene was.

"Hey Steven, I'll have to call you back. I'm about to go up to the checkout line." She said. She couldn't help but a feel a little bad for telling him a white lie.

"Oh, okay. I'll call you tonight?"

"That works. Bye!"

"Later."

She shut her phone, turning around and giggling at the pained expression on Volkner's face. He looked at her with those shocking blue eyes, a stare so intense that she almost immediately stopped giggling.

"If I ever think about getting married," He began, "Please do everything you can to stop me."

"And why is that?"

"Because there's a chance that I'll have to deal with _her_ again." He sighed, leaning against a shelf next to Maylene. "So how are you and Steven doing?"

The fighter shrugged, "We're good. We can barely have a phone conversation longer than five minutes though." She chuckled.

"Well, you both must have the gift of bad timing." The blond smirked. "Does the distance ever become too much?"

Maylene thought for a moment. "I can handle it. He'll be here in two weeks, so I'm excited. Sometimes I think it can be too much for him, he complains about it a lot."

_What if Steven isn't ready for a long distance relationship?_ Maylene thought suddenly. _We haven't seen each other in a little over a week, and he's already complaining about it. What if we don't see each other for months at a time? What'll happen then? _

She shook the thought out of her head, looking at the items in her hand. She put the shoes down on a random shelf, holding up the burgundy sweater. "I'm going with this. Hopefully she'll like it."

Volkner gave the sweater a look over. "I think she will. That weird store lady distracted me, and I still don't have a gift for her."

"This is why I'm here, Volkner." Maylene smiled, walking to the opposite side of the boutique and showing the blond a display of perfumes.

"When in doubt, get her something that'll make her smell good. Hopefully, she won't think this is you saying she smells."

* * *

><p>After abusing Maylene's nose for a good thirty minutes, Volkner bought Candice a perfume and a jeweled bracelet, and departed back to Sunyshore. After he had left, she managed to pick out a dress fairly easy. It was a fitted strapless dress tiered in shades of plum, tangerine, and magenta, all blending elegantly like a sunset. She also snagged some black peep toe pumps for a good deal, and headed back to her gym. Up the silver stairs she went, and flopped on her bed.<p>

_Now I have to worry about this surprise party…_ She groaned mentally. These next few days were going to be very interesting.

Just then, her phone rang a second time.

Without thinking, she flipped it open and pressed the device against her ear.

"Hi Steven."

Maybe he could take her mind off of things.

He was very good at that sometimes.

* * *

><p><strong>Would anyone care if Evelyn became a recurring character?<strong>

**No?**

**Good, because I love her. **

**I hope you liked the first chapter.**

**I'm sorry if it's a bit rushed, I tried my best to let it flow.**

**Oh, and Cynthia and Riley :D**

**I kind of love that pairing now. Like. Mucho. No idea why!**

**Oh, and along with Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, I've sort of become a brony.**

**Heh. Pinkie Pie's my favorite. :3**

**Alright, hopefully I'll start updating faster since I'm a bit more inspired.**

**Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2: Sympathy

**Alright.**

**First off, hello. I missed you guys so much. You don't even understand.**

**Secondly, _so many things have postponed this from being done._ I don't like to bore you guys with my personal life. But pretty much, this has happened since my last update:**

**1.) Almost got expelled from school for posting something on Facebook. It was blown completely out of proportion.**

**2.) I lost two friends after that.**

**3.) One of my other friends started acting totally different and I was finally done with her crap so I kicked her to the curb.**

**4.) Her boyfriend-who is also my COUSIN-cussed me out for not being friends with her. He is no longer my friend.**

**5.) This girl's mother sent me _fucking Facebook messages_ pretty much _bashing_ on me and telling me I'm "not who I thought you were".**

**6.) THIS GIRL'S MOTHER TALKS SHIT ABOUT ME TO OTHER TEENAGERS. _TEENAGERS_.**

**7.) There goes two more friends.**

**So pretty much, it's just been nonstop _drama_, which was so distracting that this has been sitting here untouched for two months so I'm like "hey, this should take my mind off of everything".**

**OH AND THEN IT GOT DELETED BECAUSE MY COMPUTER HATES IT WHEN I TRY TO BE PRODUCTIVE.**

**So I had to start from scratch.**

**BUT. HERE IT IS.**

**I am SO sorry for how late this is, I absolutely hate letting you guys down. I wanna keep this story going, I really do.**

**And thankfully, now that it's summer, I'll be able to update a little faster. I really wanna stay true to that.**

**Oh, but on a positive note, I got my license back in April.**

**n_n**

**On with the story!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters!**

* * *

><p>Usually at ten in the morning, Maylene would be asleep, dreaming about food, or Steven, or Steven <em>and<em> food.

But no.

She was awoken by her phone blaring obnoxiously at around seven, a bewildered Candice on the other end telling her to open up her gym. Maylene, who was only half conscious, protested and asked why. Candice informed her that there were challengers from the Orange Islands coming to Sinnoh to take on their gyms due to flooding in their respective region, so Cynthia was having every gym open up earlier than usual.

So now, it was ten in the morning, and Maylene was exhausted.

She had already had four gym challengers, and there was still a long line outside the door. It was going to be a very long day.

"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Maylene commanded, her trusted Pokémon formed a blue sphere between its paws, firing it at her opponent's Leafeon. The Leafeon took a direct hit, skidding across the field. The Pokémon had fainted.

The trainer opposite to Maylene returned Leafeon to its PokéBall, hanging her head in defeat.

"Hey, that was an awesome battle!" Maylene said cheerfully, jogging over to the other side of the field. "I'm sorry I wasted your time…" The trainer said.

"You didn't waste my time! You actually almost had me there, my Lucario was getting low on steam!" She paused. "Unfortunately, you can't walk out of here with a Cobble Badge."

The trainer nodded. "I know."

"But, you can come back tomorrow and try again!"

The trainer perked up, "You mean it?"

Maylene nodded. "I'd prefer it! We'll both be here waiting for you."

The trainer sputtered a thank you, and somewhere entangled in it was a goodbye as she bolted out of the gym. Maylene chuckled, shaking her head. She looked down at Lucario, who was panting gently. "Ready to call it a day, buddy?"

"Aww! I wanted to see more!"

Maylene flinched, spinning around and assuming fighting stance. She relaxed once she saw the face of her dear cousin Whitney, who was leaning against the railing surrounding the dirt arena.

"Whitney?" She lunged into a brisk jog towards then edge of the arena. "What're you doing here? C'mere, give me a hug!" She enveloped her baby cousin in a bear hug, the smaller pinkette stiffening in her arms.

"What? I'm not allowed to visit my favorite cousin?" Whitney said, an unusual snap in her tone. Maylene blinked. "No, you're allowed to visit, this just…never happens usually. What brings you here?"

Whitney opened her mouth to speak, but closed it, shaking her head. "Something happened at home."

That's all Maylene needed to hear. She bolted towards her gym doors and locked them, running back to Whitney and tugging her by the arm, up the silver staircase and into her bedroom. Whitney took a seat on the bed, Maylene in the computer chair by her desk.

"Talk. Now."

Whitney took a deep breath. "So…you remember my dad, and his…alcohol problem, right?"

Maylene nodded briefly, shutting her eyes. She remembered. She remembered all too well. Her uncle was a drunken fool who never thought about who he was hurting when he went out on late night boozing. He was angry and rampant and abusive, and Whitney and her mother would stay with Maylene and her family frequently back when they all still lived close to one another. He was Whitney's Hell, and Whitney deserved nothing but Heaven.

"Well, it's…it's gotten worse, May. He came home one night—drunk, obviously—and he did his usual thing; he'd yell and throw some things, and go back out to the car and pass out. But…this time was different. He went back out, and we thought for sure he was gone. But he came back in…with a gun. He had a shotgun, May. My mom and me ran out of the house—he was firing the thing when we left—and she told me to get as far away from there as possible. So, I took that Pokémon you gave me—Salamence, he's such a sweetheart—and my mom took her Charizard and she went in one direction and I went in the other. I came here because…I didn't know where else to go. I didn't know anyone else who would understand. I couldn't stay in Johto, my dad would probably find me."

Her breathing turned shaky, and then she started to sob into her hands. Maylene jumped up from her chair and sat next to her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her cousin's shoulder and let her cry onto her shoulder.

"I'm scared. I'm so scared, Maylene. I don't know where my mom went. I'm scared for my dad, I don't want him to be this way, I don't want him angry and miserable and violent. I'm worry about everything. I don't… I don't wanna live like this, and I don't want my mom to live like this. I want…I want everything to be alright again!" She sobbed, the tears of sadness draining into Maylene's training tank top. Maylene couldn't stand seeing her sweet and energetic cousin breaking down like this.

"You're staying here." Maylene said firmly. Whitney looked up at her, beige eyes rimmed with red. "W-What?"

"You're staying here." The fighter repeated. "You're gonna stay here as long as you need to. There is no way I'm sending you back there with that psychopath."

"I don't wanna burden you—"

"Whitney, you're burdening no one. So don't try and fight it; you're gonna be my new roommate, whether you like it or not."

Whitney couldn't help but smile underneath her tears. "T-Thanks, May. I really appreciate this." She whipped her face, a beat of silence between them.

"…Is it okay if we get some food?" Whitney asked quietly, a small smile on her face.

Maylene chuckled. "Now who am I to deny food? Let's go, I know just the place."

XXXX

Maylene took Whitney to a small diner on the outskirts of the city. She had been there herself plenty of times, and she knew it'd be perfect for Whitney. The hostess seated them in a booth fairly quickly, and had taken their orders just as fast.

"Alright, Whit, tell me how school's been going." Maylene asked, smiling at her. Whitney looked up from twirling her straw in her lemonade, smiling brightly. "It's been alright. It kind of stinks that I'm the only gym leader that goes to school, I'd feel better if someone was with me. Oh! There was this one time during history…"

That's all it took. Maylene needed something to take Whitney's mind off of her home life. While the smaller pinkette continued to talk about her obnoxious classmates, Maylene's phone buzzed against her thigh. She glanced down at her pocket, turning her attention back to her cousin. Whitney stopped, smiling gently. "Is it Steven?"

Maylene looked at her. "Y-Yeah…" She replied, mostly surprised that Whitney could tell.

"Go on, answer it. You guys probably haven't talked all day."

Maylene gave her a look of gratitude before reaching into her pocket and fishing out her phone, flipping it open.

"Salutations, Steven Stone."

"Woah, I dig the alliteration."

Maylene bit her lip to hide a grin. "Someone must be having a lazy day, it's only three in the afternoon; usually you'd either be battling or swamped with meetings."

"It's one of those few off days I have. Did you hear about Orange Island?"

Maylene snorted, "Have I _heard_? They've migrated here to challenge our gyms; we all had to open up at seven-thirty."

There was a beat of silence. "…Shouldn't you be battling, then?" Steven asked slowly.

"Something came up, I closed up early. I'm enjoying a late lunch with Whitney right now."

"Oh, tell her I said hi!"

Maylene placed a hand over the phone speaker, "Steven says hi."

"Hi Steven! Thank you for making Maylene less single and bitter!"

Maylene narrowed her eyes, returning the phone back to her ear. "She says hello." She ignored Whitney's response of sticking out her tongue. "So, what's the countdown at? I miss you."

"T-minus one week and five days, cap'n."

Maylene groaned mentally. "Still too long. I haven't hugged you in _forever_."

"Jeez, May, could you get _any_ more mushy?"

"You know what, Steven, I'm gonna have to call you back, because Whitney is being a nuisance and I might have to hurt her."

"She's that little sister you never had, right?"

Maylene face softened, magenta eyes watching Whitney closely—the excitement in her beige eyes as the waitress set down their food, how she immediately dug into her French fries, how she teased Maylene for being 'whipped' for Steven.

"Yeah…I guess you're right."

Steven chuckled on the other end, "I'll talk to you later then."

"Alright. Bye." Maylene shut her phone, eyeing the burger on her plate. Her eye candy with the patty was interrupted by a stray fry landing in her hair.

Yup. She was a little sister alright—one she never _wanted_.

XXXX

Maylene & Whitney headed back to the gym at around five—it took longer to eat because of the miniature food fight they were having—where Maylene opened up for a few more battles, then closing for good. The two girls were now in Maylene's room; Whitney sprawled out on the carpet watching TV, and Maylene sitting at her desk on her computer. It was a very peaceful silence between them—Maylene was mostly happy to not be alone anymore.

The phone right next to her desktop computer blared, making both of the girls flinch. No one really called on this phone, so it was probably another gym leader, the landlord, or Cynthia—

"Hello?"

"_Bonjour_, Maylene!"

Or contest superstar Fantina.

"Fantina? Shouldn't you be battling challengers…?"

"_Mais, oui, _I should, but I was told by the wonderful Cynthia to call you and remind you of Candice's birthday party!"

Maylene sighed lightly—that was the last thing on her mind. "Right, her party. It's in like, four days, right?"

"Correct! You are the designated distractor, _n'est pas_?"

"_Oui—_I mean, yes, I am. I've gotta bring her by your villa at seven, right?"

"Correct _encore_! I am very excited!"

"Me too." Maylene tried to muster up some fake happiness. Then, she spoke before she could stop herself. "Hey, Fantina, do you think you could tell me about Brawly?

She blinked. "Oh, Arceus, I'm so sorry, I hope that wasn't—"

"Do not apologize, _ma amie_, it is alright. I remember you two were close back when we took our trip to Hoenn, it is no problem to ask. Brawly is Wallace's nephew, but he is almost like our son. His mother was killed in a car accident, and his father took off almost immediately after that. He has grown a fear of being alone, so he visits here in Hearthome whenever he feels that way, and I do not protest. He is a good boy, _bon garçon._"

Maylene's eyes shifted downwards, absorbing everything Fantina just said. She closed her eyes, "T-Thanks for telling me, Fantina."

"_De rien_, Maylene! He trusts you very much, and as do I!"

Her heart sank. "Alright. I'll see you at the party, okay? I know you'll make it look amazing."

"I shall try! _Au revoir_!"

Maylene set the phone back on the charger, staring at her hands. Was she…developing sympathy for Brawly?

"What's wrong, May?" Whitney asked. Maylene looked in her direction, Whitney sitting cross-legged on the sandy carpet, staring at her with curious eyes. The older fighter smiled gently, "Nothing, we were just talking about the party." She quickly fabricated a yawn. "I'm pretty beat from all this battling today. I'm gonna go get you an air mattress from downstairs, I'll be right back." Maylene jumped off the bed and jogged out of the room and down the silver stairs, bolting across the arena to a closet door that blended in to the wallpaper of the arena. She paused for a second. _Maybe Brawly isn't as horrible as I thought_. She concluded. _Maybe I _am_ having sympathy. Why?_

She yanked the box with the air mattress out of the closet. _I guess I'm only human._

She shut the closet door gently. _And I guess we're not that different after all._

* * *

><p>Maylene awoke the next morning—thankful for no phone calls about gym battles—to her room completely empty. The air mattress next to the bed was messily made—the two pillows were crooked, the sheets and blanket were sloppily sprawled out over the mattress. If Maylene were a nanny, she would be having a heart attack. Next to her cell phone was a folded sheet of notebook paper, most likely from Whitney. Maylene blindly reached out for it, grabbing her phone along with the note, unfolding it.<p>

_May—_

_Went out to breakfast with Aaron, be back later tonight._

_You can be as gushy as you want with Steven now :)_

—_Whitney_

Maylene smiled, setting the note back on her desk. She lay back on her pillow, smiling. Her cell phone blared, causing her to groan—who was calling her now? She was finally getting a break from all the battling, she just wanted to _sleep_. She whipped open her phone, exhaling into the receiver. "Hello?"

"Goooooood morning, sleepyhead~"

Maylene rolled her eyes, running her fingers through her tangled pink locks. "Shouldn't you be waving hello to your flowers, Mother Nature?"

"Ha ha, very funny." Gardenia chuckled. "Do you wanna hang out today? I need to get something for Candice still."

Maylene shrugged, "Sure, I'll help you out. I already got her a gift."

"Then I'll drag you for some girl time."

"Fine. I'll meet you at the department store in an hour."

"Why an hour? I'm free right now."

"Gardenia, it's eleven, do you _seriously_ believe that I'm dressed right now?"

"Point taken. Go shower."

"Gladly."

XXXX

After taking a long shower and dressing in a green training shirt, skinny jeans and scuffed canvas sneakers, she made her way down to the department store where Gardenia was seated on the bench.

"Took you long enough, Stinky."

Maylene laughed, "It takes time to scrub sweat and smell off of me, I'm sorry. Let's go find this gift."

The two girls wandered the department store aimlessly, Gardenia settling for a trinket store close to the boutique Maylene bought her dress at. Gardenia was aimlessly browsing small Pokémon figurines, Maylene casually trailing behind her, glancing at her surroundings. "So, Mother Nature, how's Candice doing? I haven't talked to her since yesterday, and it was very brief."

Gardenia sighed, "She's…she's hanging in there."

"What's she hanging onto?"

"She's really excited for her birthday, yeah, but she just wants her relationship with Volkner to last."

Maylene bit the inside of her cheek. Gardenia turned around, Maylene quickly picking through birthday cards behind her. "What do you mean?"

"Volkner's been really distant from Candice since we got back from Hoenn. Whenever she calls him, he just sounds uninterested and gets off the phone after a few minutes, and that was usually never the case. Whenever they hang out, he's more quiet than usual, and she's just nervous around him. It's confusing."

Maylene's eyes widened for a split second. _But it's not confusing. He told me why._

"He doesn't trust her that much anymore." Maylene said, quickly regretting it. Gardenia looked at her, raising an auburn eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Y-Yeah, ever since the Hoenn trip. You can't really blame the guy, right? I mean, yeah, Candice is one of my closest friends, but…still."

There was a pause between them. Maylene bit down on her cheek harder.

"And…how'd you find that out?"

"He…told me." She sighed. "I saw him here a few days ago, and I asked him how they were doing. I…really shouldn't have told you that. Can you…not tell Candice? I don't wanna make their relationship harder for her to maintain."

Gardenia smirked, "It's all good, I know a secret when I hear one. But…is there a secret _you're_ hiding?"

Maylene gave her a confused look. "Excuse me?"

"Do you like Volkner?"

Her eyes widened, "N-No! I don't like him! I'm completely committed to Steven. Volkner…" She stopped for a second, her face softening. "…He trusts me. I don't know how, or what I did, but…he does. I don't wanna break that. And…I wanna stay friends with Candice. If she found out, I'd just be in the middle."

_Why do I think I'm lying?_

"Honest?"

_Am I lying?_

"Honest." Maylene stuck out her pinkie. Gardenia chuckled, "We haven't done the pinkie promise since middle school, are you serious right now?"

"Completely! We vowed to keep doing it as long as we're best friends, remember?"

Gardenia grinned, eyeing Maylene's pinkie. "I remember." She wrapped her own pinkie around it, her fiery orange eyes meeting magenta.

_I'm…not lying. I don't have feelings for him._

Gardenia dropped Maylene's pinkie, reaching for a small figurine of the Icicle Badge. "Awe, this is so precious. Do you think she'll like it?"

Maylene smiled. "I think she'll love it. Oh! Have you found a dress for her party yet?"

"No, it completely slipped my mind. You know how bad I am at picking out dresses…"

"Never fear, Stinky is here."

The two laughed, Gardenia purchasing the small statue, and heading to the boutique where Maylene found her own dress. They were greeted by the saleswoman who helped Volkner pick out an engagement ring ("Did your friend propose to his girlfriend?" "What?" "Yeah, Volkner's proposing to Candice." "What?" "I'm kidding, idiot!").

_You're lying. You're truly lying._

XXXX

It took longer than Maylene thought for Gardenia to pick out a dress—it was navy blue, loose fit and breezy, with earthy tones of green, brown, and gold running around it in loopy patterns—but it was perfect for her. The two had a late lunch in the food court, and after that, Gardenia headed back to Eterna City.

Maylene trudged back to the gym with lots on her mind. _Stop telling me I'm lying._

_But you are._

_I'm not! I like Steven! Volkner is a friend._

_A friend? You want him as a _boy_friend._

_Stop it! Steven is perfect._

_But you don't want perfect._

_Exactly, because you're not perfect._

_Volkner's not perfect._

_Yeah, you two are made for each other._

_He's got troubles—_

—_And you have troubles—_

—_You're both—_

—_A match._

"Shut up!" Maylene growled. She looked up, realizing that she had gained the attention of a few passing women.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry." She sputtered quickly, sprinting back to the gym. _Goddamn inner turmoil…_

She slipped the key into the door of the gym, swinging it open—

And was trapped by a pair of arms that were so familiar it was tear jerking.

"Wait…"

"Hi, Maylene."

Her face was pressed against his shoulder. Tears stung at her eyes. _He's here. He's real._

She hugged him back so tightly she was scared she was going to break him.

"Hi, Steven."

* * *

><p><strong>Blossoming relationship for Whitney? Ohohohohoho.<strong>

**Oh yeah there's Steven.**

**And the inner turmoil.**

**AND EVELYN.**

**I'm sorry, I like her. A lot.**

**I'm really sorry this is here so late, I really am.**

**Asdfghjkl; don't hate me you guise D:**

**Alrighty.**

**Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3: Obvious

**Hello, hello!**

**Woah, I really hauled some ass with this one.**

**I actually stayed up all night and wrote almost 3/4 of this.**

**I'm very sleep deprived so bare with me on some parts.**

**And I just realized how short the last chapter was, I'm sorry.**

**Alrighty, alrighty.**

**Oh, so remember all that crap that went down during my five month absence I told you about last chapter?**

**I used some advice given to me by my mom in this. n_n**

**Oh and you guys might start hating me now I'M SRRY.**

**Alright, on with it!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All these food places are from my _noodle_ though. (I am craving food omfg.)**

* * *

><p>"You're…here." Maylene exhaled. She slipped out of his arms for a split second to shut and lock the gym doors, turning back around. She still didn't want to believe that he was…<em>here<em>.

"Surprise~" Steven smiled. He looked well rested and happy—he was wearing a pair of torn jeans and a plain red t-shirt. Maylene was happy; she loved it when he didn't wear his stuffy business clothes. He cupped his hands on her face gently, leaning down and kissing her with all the stored passion in his body. Maylene didn't hesitate to kiss back, wrapping her arms around his middle, leaning into his touch. Jesus, it felt so _foreign_. It felt different, but it was a good different—it was a familiar different. The only words that made sense contradicted each other, but she didn't care.

"Ugh, child in the gym." A voice behind them whined. Their lips parted, looking in the general direction of the sound. Whitney, dressed in sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, stared at them with a sly smirk on her face. Maylene smiled, "Oh, my apologies. Steven, have you met my daughter?"

Steven laughed, "Ah, yes, hello, Whitney!" He turned around, bending his knees so they were at eye level. "I'm your new daddy!"

Whitney jumped up and down, clapping her hands. "Yay! I have a daddy!" She giggled. "I made reservations for you two at Acorn Steakhouse down in Eterna, because I figured you guys wouldn't wanna go to a fancy restaurant. Plus, Maylene likes steak."

Maylene blinked, "Oh, God, Whitney. You didn't have to do all that." She turned to Steven. "I _do_ like steak, though…"

Steven nodded. "I don't want my step-daughter making plans for us."

Whitney smiled, "Nah, don't worry about it. The dinner's on me."

The couple's eyes widened in unison, making Whitney snicker. "Yes, I have money! Just because I'm young doesn't mean I'm broke." She began pushing them out of the gym. "Alright, get going. I'll make sure to go to bed on time. Trust me."

"Wait, Whit, don't you wanna come?" Maylene protested. Whitney gave them one more hard shove, holding both of the doors open. "No, I don't wanna come, now get going on your date!" And with that, she slammed the doors, locking them out from the inside.

Maylene looked up at Steven, who returned her gaze. They smiled at each other, laughing gently.

"Well, I don't wanna disappoint my step-daughter, now, do I?" He extended his elbow. "Shall we head to this steakhouse?"

Maylene nodded, linking arms with him and pulling out a PokéBall connected to her belt. She pushed down the middle button, the red stream of light releasing her Flygon. The Pokémon blinked its insect-like eyes, narrowing them at Steven.

"No, no," Maylene said quickly, resting a hand on Flygon's back. "He's a friend."

Steven smiled, awkwardly waving. "Hello, Flygon."

Flygon gave Steven a once-over, then rolling its eyes. Maylene held in a giggle, "Flygon, don't judge so harshly." She looked at Steven, "He's…perfect."

Steven bit down on his lip, obviously hiding a grin. Maylene smirked—mission accomplished—and hopped on Flygon's back. "You coming? I _do_ like steak."

Steven hopped on right behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and kissing her temple lovingly.

"I missed holding you."

Maylene smiled, rubbing Flygon's neck. "To Eterna, buddy."

And with that, Flygon leaned back on its legs and pounced into the air, soaring above the city of Veilstone, taking the reunited couple to a steakhouse.

Maylene's day just got better.

XXXX

The steakhouse was in the dead center of Eterna City. Once Maylene and Steven had gotten off Flygon, Maylene gave her Pokémon a pet on the back, Steven doing the same. Flygon hissed at the silver haired champion, quickly being trapped in the beam of red light before it could do anything.

"Flygon seems pretty fond of me." Steven said, sarcasm dripping in his voice. Maylene took his hand, "Don't worry, Flygon's like that with everyone. He damn near bit off Candice's head when she first met him." Maylene chuckled.

The two walked into the steakhouse, a warm, earthy feeling wrapping around the fighter the minute they stepped in—how fitting, on a count of it being in the city of nature. They were seated fairly quickly, a plump waitress named Helen taking their order and heading off to fetch their drinks.

Finally, now they could converse for longer than five minutes.

"Alright, we have all the time in the world now. Tell me about Candice's party." Steven asked, reaching for Maylene's hand across the table. The pinkette blushed at the contact. "Well, pretty much, her party's in like, three days, and I have to distract her."

"Won't that be…awkward?"

"Same thing I said. But Cynthia and Riley, oh God, _Riley_, that excited son of a bitch. They were counting on me, and I've never seen them so…smiley. That's the only way I can put it."

"Cynthia's been rainbows and sunshine ever since you got those two together. I tip my hat to you—she always used to come to champion meetings on edge and uptight and professional. Now all of a sudden she's all 'chill'. Yeah, she described herself as 'chill'."

"What have I created…"

Steven smiled, the waitress coming back with their drinks. He shot her his signature grin and a 'thank you'—she looked ready to faint as she walked away from the table.

"Have you, yanno…called Candice to ask her to do something?"

Maylene's eyebrows shot up, groaning. "I should do that, shouldn't I?"

Steven laughed, "That would make sense. It can't be Candice's birthday without Candice. What're the requirements of getting her to the party?"

"Well…we've gotta be dressy, there's the challenge already. What am I supposed to tell her? Oh, and I have to somehow lure her to Fantina's villa while being dressy. The last time we were at her villa we were in pajamas. And now I have to tell her to break out the heels? She'll question whatever I have to say immediately."

Steven stroked his chin with his free hand, aqua eyes pointed towards the ceiling. His thinking face was the cutest thing ever, Maylene concluded.

"Well, the villa situation could be that you left your heels at her house from when her and Wallace renewed their vows?"

Maylene pondered for a moment. It made sense. Fantina & Wallace had renewed their vows about a month prior to the party. She could stash the black pumps she bought at Fantina's, and—

"That's so perfect." Maylene grinned. Steven shrugged, "What can I say, I'm the man when it comes to excuses."

Maylene chuckled, "Right. Okay, that part's down. Now what am I supposed to say to get her dressed up? I was thinking that I could tell her we're going to a club, but I need to swing by the villa to get my shoes—oh my gosh that could work, too!"

Steven blinked. "Glad I could help! Now," he pointed to her cell phone sitting on the table near her arm. "Call her up and get on with it."

Maylene bit her lip. _Hey, it's now or never._

She grabbed the device and flipped it open, scrolling through her contact list.

_Bugsy, Brycen, Byron…Ah-ha! Candice._

She took a deep breath, pressing the 'CALL' button.

The dial tone played for a bit. She looked at Steven, her whole body tense. She hadn't talked to Candice since after the Pokémon League meeting, she had no idea how this was gonna go, maybe she should just hang up and try later—

"Hello?"

—Damnit.

"H-Hey, Candice!" Maylene said, trying her best to sound excited.

"Maylene? Oh man, it's been a while since I've heard from you! How've you been, girl?"

"I've been good, really good, actually." She looked at Steven as she spoke. "I was calling to ask you something."

Candice said something that was too muffled to make out—probably to Volkner, or Riley. She returned after a few seconds. "Sorry about that. Yeah, go ahead and ask! It's so good to hear from you."

Maylene smiled shyly, feeling a small spurt of warmth in her heart. In a way, she missed talking to Candice. They would talk all the time, everyday—but then Hoenn had to happen…

"So, your birthday's in three days. I was thinking we could hang out that day."

There was a pause on the other line. _Shit, why did I agree to this?_

"That…would be really great, Maylene. What did you have in mind?"

_So far, so good._ Steven shot her a thumbs up. Maylene took a breath. "Um, well, I was thinking we could go out to lunch at that place in Sunyshore you like so much—"

"Oh! That cute little Italian restaurant by the beach? What was it called again? I haven't been there in ages!"

"I think it was Letizia."

"That's right! I haven't found anyone to go with me again. Volkner…doesn't like Italian food, and Gardenia's been really busy. I'd love that, Maylene, honest. That would make my birthday so special."

The warmth in her heart grew. "Good. We're going there. And maybe after that we could head to a club down here in Veilstone. Remember the first time we went to Nova?"

Candice gasped. "That was so much fun! We saw Bugsy there, oh man. We're going there again?"

Maylene nodded, "Yes ma'am! Now you can wear that dress you bought a few days ago."

"Now I have a reason to! Yes!" There was a pause for the two to laugh. "That's really sweet of you, May. I'd love to hang out with you. It sounds like it'd be a lot of fun, and we have a lot of catching up to do. It's been…different for the past few days, and I haven't seen you. This…would really mean a lot."

Her heart was about to melt. "I just want you to have a special day, Candice."

"Thanks, May. So, I'll see you Friday then. What time should I get ready?"

_The party starts at seven, so…_ "Let's go with four. I'll swing by the gym to get you. After we eat, we'll go back to the gym and change to go to Nova."

"That's perfect. I'll see you then, alright? I'm so excited!"

"Same here. I'll talk to you later, Candice."

"Alright. Bye, May!"

The dial tone returned.

Maylene looked up at Steven, flipping the phone shut and setting it back on the table.

"There. Now was that so hard?"

Maylene shook her head. "Not at all. It…felt like old times. It didn't feel awkward. I'm…kind of looking forward to it."

"I bet you're also looking forward to your steak, too."

"I _do_ like steak."

XXXX

The couple enjoyed their _very_ delectable steaks courtesy of the wonderful Whitney. They returned to the gym around ten that night, where Whitney was sound asleep with a movie playing and a half eaten bowl of popcorn by her head.

"She fits the part of 'daughter' really well." Steven whispered, resting a hand on Maylene's shoulder. The fighter smiled, "If you start calling me mom, I'll have to hurt you."

"That's the only problem with us dating; when you threaten me, I know it's not a threat, it's a _promise_."

Maylene giggled, "Good, now you won't annoy me." She walked over to Whitney, picking up the bowl of popcorn and setting it on the desk. She scooped up Whitney and planted her on the air mattress, pulling the blankets over her. She looked at her for a minute—people were right, they _do_ look alike—watching her sleeping face, her eyebrows knit for a second , the corners of her mouth twitch upwards. She thanked the legendary trio of Arceus, Dialga, and Palkia for keeping Whitney safe.

"May, let's watch a movie!"

"Be quiet! Whitney's asleep!" Maylene hissed as quietly as she could. She looked back down at her baby cousin, who was curling up comfortably under the blankets. She smiled, "Goodnight, Whit." She said softly. She stepped out of her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

"Okay, what movie do you wanna watch?" Maylene asked, climbing down the silver stairs. She jogged across the arena where the hidden closet is, revealing another door a few feet away from it. Behind the door was a large hangout room, equipped with gaming systems, a big fluffy mahogany leather couch, a flat screen television, and a workout area just a little farther down from the couches. Steven poked his head in, grinning like a madman.

"Woah, this is awesome."

"I don't normally bring people in here—I usually never have guests besides Candice and Gardenia—but you're an exception."

"You must have like, four gaming systems, what even—"

"I have six, get with it. Go pick a movie."

"This is gonna be a long night, May."

"Looking forward to it, Steve-o."

* * *

><p>Waking up had never been so difficult. Maylene and Steven had gone to bed around four in the morning after watching two movies and playing video games until they couldn't keep their eyes open. Maylene had grown fond of the game <em>Skullgirls<em>, which she introduced Steven to that night. Fighting games were always their thing, and this was another game for Maylene to kick Steven's ass at. Steven used every character available—He almost won with Cerebella, but she was no match against Maylene's seemingly unbeatable strategy with Painwheel—yet, every time, he just couldn't win. They had snuck back upstairs and crawled into Maylene's bed, quickly falling asleep.

Now it was—she didn't even know what time it was. All she knew was that Whitney and Steven were still out cold.

And idea popped into her head.

She tried her best to wiggle out of Steven's grip, who was holding onto her tightly like his life depended on it. She quickly showered, throwing on jeans and a sweatshirt.

She was gonna go get her favorite people some breakfast.

Maylene slipped out of the gym, quickly locking it, asking Dialga to possibly stop time in her little gym so they won't wake up and her little gesture goes unnoticed.

She unhooked a PokéBall from her jeans and let out good ol' Flygon. Flygon blinked slowly, stretching like a feline. Maylene smiled, rolling her eyes. "Don't act like you were sleeping, you were just waiting to get flying. Let's see, where to go…" Maylene tapped her foot against the concrete. Flygon stared at her with a blank expression, his back legs fidgeting.

"Damnit Flygon, chill out!" Maylene giggled. Flygon was so antsy this morning—err, afternoon.

"Oh! I got it!" She jumped on Flygon's back, catching the Pokémon off guard. "Let's head over to Pastoria."

Flygon craned its neck, giving her a confused look. "I know, I know, I don't like Crasher Wake, but there's a cute breakfast joint down there, and that's where I'm gonna get their food. So just fly, will ya?"

Flygon snorted, pouncing into the air and soaring towards Pastoria—the flight was short, and Flygon wasn't too happy about that. Before he could throw his temper tantrum, he was sucked up into the PokéBall. Pastoria was quiet, a different scenery from Maylene's bustling town of Veilstone. The breakfast joint she was referring to was right next to the Pastoria City Gym (unfortunately) called Holly's. It was a brick building, the parking lot packed with cars and bikes. Maylene sighed—of course; she came at a crowded time. She didn't wanna waste her trip; she walked up to the restaurant and pushed open the door. She was right—it _was_ crowded. The line was long, the tables were filled, and the workers were running back and forth behind the counter. She sighed again, getting into the line and hoping Steven and Whitney would still be asleep.

The line barely moved for the first ten minutes. She was starting to count tiles, count the number of bald people, and even count the number of times the girl with the pony tail said "have a Holly jolly day!". So far, she was at 459, 34, and 17, respectively.

"Oh, man, why do I keep running into you?"

Maylene turned around, semi-happy to see someone she could talk to. "Well, good afternoon to you, too, Volkner."

The blond scratched the back of his neck, shooting her a small smile, "So what brings you here?"

"Well, I think the same reason as everyone else—I'm hungry, and this place has great food. Oh, and I'm getting something for Whitney and Steven."

Volkner's face slightly fell, yet he continued to smile. "Oh? When did those two get here?"

"Whitney got here two days ago, and Steven came yesterday evening. Something happened at home with Whit, and Steven just…pulled a Steven, I guess." Maylene smiled. "So, how're you and the birthday girl?"

Volkner exhaled sharply, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets and now Maylene was checking out his outfit, oh Goodness, his white shirt looked way too tight, and his jeans fit him perfectly, and his hair, his hair—

And now Maylene was checking him out. She winced. _Stop it, brain._ "Oh, by the sound of that…"

"Yeah, we, um…yeah, we fought last night. I stormed out. My sister came over like, an hour after that. She stayed the night. She ordered me to get her breakfast. So, I'm here."

Maylene chuckled, "Typical Elesa, right? Um…can I ask what the fight was about?" She bit her lip, hoping she didn't seem like she was prying.

Volkner visibly tensed, shrugging. "Sure, it's alright. I swung by her place because she asked me to, and I thought we were gonna hang out or something. I get there, and she's in her room with Skyla and Sabrina, I've never really met them, so I guess she was introducing me. I can say in total honesty that those girls are bitches and I sincerely do not like them. But, my problem wasn't with them. My problem was that Candice was _acting_ like them. She was showing me off like some prized puppy, and Candice _knows_ I hate that. She…even referred to me as 'it' at some point. That…was something I wasn't really fond of. In short, I pretty much told her to get off her high horse and stop acting like she owns me or something. Of course she started denying it. There was a lot of yelling, but I won't get into that. Then I stormed out. It only pissed me off because she was acting so _different_. She wasn't herself. She was acting prissy and annoying, and I didn't like that. She just…" He took a breath, his eyes moving to the floor. "…She just wasn't the girl I fell in love with."

Maylene couldn't say anything. She was…well, she was speechless. Maylene had heard about Candice hanging out with other people, but…she didn't know it was _that_ bad.

"Excuse me?"

Maylene and Volkner turned around, a girl with who appeared to be her boyfriend looking at them. The girl spoke. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but, I think you need to dump that girl."

Her boyfriend nodded, "Yeah, definitely. If she's just starting to act different, it's just gonna get worse."

"It's sickening that that girl would call you 'it'." An older woman behind them chimed in, "You seem like such a nice boy, you can do so much better."

"Yeah, you two would make a _much_ better couple anyway." The girl said. "You guys seem to have chemistry."

Volkner turned back around, his intense blue eyes staring down at Maylene. Maylene's breath hitched in her throat, but she looked right back at him.

"Trust me; there are plenty of girls out there better for him than me." Maylene said, more to Volkner than the three other people.

"Can I help whose next?"

Maylene turned around, the girl with the pony tail grinning at her from ear to ear. She stepped up to the counter, pasting on a smile. "Um, I'd like to order to go."

XXXX

Maylene had originally wanted to get the food and go, but somehow, she was sitting on the sidewalk in front of Holly's next to Volkner eating their breakfast.

"So, what do you think you should do, captain?" Maylene asked, biting into her breakfast sandwich. Volkner shrugged, wiping his hands on a napkin. "I…really don't know. I wanna know if Candice will change—for better or worse. If I break up with her now, it might be too soon. What do you think?"

Maylene stopped chewing. She parted her lips to speak, but closed them. "I really shouldn't get involved, Volkner. Candice…she's still my friend. This is your relationship. But, I'll give you this—ask yourself if sticking around is the best idea for you. You'll have to learn to be selfish." Volkner opened his mouth to protest, but Maylene cut him off, "And I do not care how humble you are, Volkner, you are going to do what's right for you. What's right? You decide."

Volkner closed his mouth, smiling at her. "Okay. You're right, I guess."

"You _guess_? Pfft, You know I'm right. This is something you're gonna have to do to please yourself, not everyone else. If you're happy, and you know it—"

The blond interrupted her with a clap. Maylene groaned, "Why did I not see that coming?" They both laughed. Maylene never actually realized how much she liked his laugh.

The laughter died, Maylene happily munching on the rest of her sandwich. She glanced out of the corner of her eye, seeing Volkner staring at her with his electric blue eyes again. She met his gaze, neither of them doing anything. They were trying to read each other; one realizing the other was too hard to read, and one realizing the other wouldn't let them in.

"You've got bacon on your face." Volkner murmured, reaching up to brush the piece of meat off the corner of her mouth with his thumb, his hand resting on her cheek for just a second too long. Maylene's cheeks reddened instantly, quickly crumbling up her bag and standing up.

"Um, I, uh, better head back to the gym. Challengers, hungry Whitney is scary, yeah." She tossed her empty bag in a nearby trash bin, tucking the other two bags under her arm as she released Flygon. Flygon looked around, seeing Volkner and purring excitedly. Volkner chuckled, "Hey there!" He patted Flygon's head, the Pokémon leaning into his touch. Maylene stood there in awe. _Is…Flygon accepting a stranger?_

She hopped on Flygon's back. "It was nice seeing you Volkner. Shall we meet again on Friday?"

Volkner turned his head, "I don't know. I'll see if I can make an appearance. But hey, if I don't show, I'd love to take you to lunch or something."

Maylene eyes widened subtly, a small smile forming on her lips. "That'd be nice. The only guy friend I really have is Steven, who's never around." She nodded, "Yeah, lunch would be awesome."

Volkner smirked at her, "Alright, nice. I'll call you."

"Gotcha. See ya, Volky."

"What have I said about Volky!"

"Let's go Flygon!"

And with that, she was gone, flying through the air with Flygon, with two bags of lukewarm breakfast in her hands for her cousin and her boyfriend—

Oh right.

She had a boyfriend.

Maylene growled, "What _was_ that? Flygon what is wrong with me?"

Flygon made a noise of what seemed to be confusion, preparing to land in front of the gym.

"Flygon, do I like Volkner? Do I make it obvious?"

Flygon was silent.

"Oh, come on! It's that obvious? But I don't—!"

Flygon landed, Maylene hopping off. Her Pokémon gave her a look that said _Really? You're serious?_

The fighter groaned. "Goddamnit Flygon, I _do_ like him. I shouldn't. Why—!"

"There she is!"

Maylene turned around, Steven walking out of the gym fully dressed. "I was beginning to worry. Where'd you run off to?"

Maylene shook the bags. "I went to get breakfast. I kind of hung back and ate mine, though. I ran into Volkner there, we talked for a little."

"Oh, that's fine. He's a cool guy, I like him."

"Yeah, he's…cool." Maylene said quietly. Steven smiled at her, giving her a chaste kiss on the lips. "Thanks for the food, you didn't have to that."

"I wanted to. Is Whitney awake?"

"Oh yeah—she's been playing DDR since she woke up. She takes it way too seriously."

Maylene laughed, "Yeah that happens…_a lot._" She took Steven's hand, walking back into the gym together. Whitney was singing very off key to _This Head I Hold_, and violently stomping on the DDR mat.

_I really am lying to myself. I…actually do like Volkner._

* * *

><p><strong>Commence the hatred I'M SRRY BBYS BUT YOU KNOW I LOVES SOME DRAMA AND I PROMISE IT'LL TURN OUT GOOD.<strong>

**Not the good you want but IT'LL BE FINE.**

**Did anyone catch the advice from my mumma?**

**About pleasing yourself instead of everyone else?**

**I'm lame.**

**And this is the first chapter without Evelyn brb my cries.**

**I was tempted to have her work at the breakfast place and be like OMFG YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WAS PROPOSING HOW'D IT GO**

**And Volkner would be like wat.**

**And she'd be like OMG AM I INVITED TO THE WEDDING? VOLKNER PLS**

**And he'd be like wat.**

**LOL I'M SO SLEEP DEPRIVED, I'M SORRY. I'M GONNA GO TO BED.**

**Yeah next chapter will be Candice's par-tay. I'm feeling really inspired, so it should be up in a few days. Yay. :3**

**How many chapters is this gonna be?**

**Hell, I have no clue.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Reviews would mean bunches.**

**Oh, and the song Whitney was Glee-ing up was _This Head I Hold_ by Electric Guest.  
><strong>

**Over and out!**


	4. Chapter 4: Enough is Enough

**It has arrived, my dear readers!**

**Candice's birthday party.**

**Sorry this took so long. **

**This is super long, brace yourselves.**

**I hope everyone had a splendid Fourth of July!**

**Let's not delay with my author's note, on with the chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon, but the angst you're about to read is all from my noodle.**

**Oh, and I guess this chapter is rated M, I'm just gonna say it just to be safe. There's underage drinking and lots of swears and Skyla. Oh lord, I had fun with her.**

**Okay, proceed.**

* * *

><p>"Oh God, Steven, today's the day." Maylene said, frantically tearing apart her closet. It was currently three in the afternoon, the day of Candice's party. In just an hour, she'd have to take the birthday girl out for a day of fun while the others set up Fantina's villa.<p>

"You'll be fine. You're just eating and bringing her to the house." Steven said, who was sprawled out on her bed.

Maylene turned around, "Wait, why did I not kick you out yet?" She was currently freaking out while in her bra and panties. "Get out!"

Steven laughed, "I was waiting for it. I'll be outside the door." He pushed himself off the bed, walking out of her room and shutting the door. She could hear his body slide down the wall, sitting on the floor. "Why are you freaking out anyway?"

"Because Volkner told me him and Candice had a fight, and that's she's been acting different, and I really don't know what to expect." She poked her arm out of her room, holding up a pair of jean shorts and a white and blue plaid blouse. "This?"

"It looks great, May—"

"You're right, I'll wear the red and white. What was I thinking!" Her arm snapped back into the room and slammed the door. Steven sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Are you gonna come to the party, Steven?" Maylene asked, pulling on the shorts. "I'd feel better if you showed up."

"I dunno, I wasn't invited. Would it be a problem if I showed up?"

Maylene swung open the door, now fully dressed, with her dress and black pumps tucked under her arm. She'd stash the pumps at Fantina's place before heading off to Snowpoint. Steven stood up, wrapping his arms around her. She smiled, "Please go."

"Fine, fine. You better get going if you wanna make it to Snowpoint by four. Me and Whitney will see you at the villa tonight, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Steven." The two kissed briefly, followed by a tight hug. Maylene quickly descended down the silver stairs and out the door, where Flygon was merrily flying in circles overhead.

"For the love of—Flygon, get down here. We have to stop by Hearthome first before we get to Snowpoint."

Flygon made a displeasing noise, making Maylene roll her eyes. Flygon is almost like her three year old son that has hissy fits when he doesn't wanna do something.

"I know you hate the cold, you'll only be out for legit a second, okay?" She hopped on Flygon's back. "Alright, to Hearthome, buddy."

XXXX

Maylene planted the heels inside the villa—Fantina seemed _way_ too excited about the plan, even for her—and she had just landed in Snowpoint City. Flygon, being the self-proclaimed diva he is, refused to touch the snowy ground, so Maylene was forced to hop off while Flygon perched himself on the roof. The nerve.

_Alright, this is it. It's four on the dot, and the plan starts _now_._ Maylene took a deep breath, knocking on the gym door, a frosty wind whipping at her bare legs.

Candice appeared a few seconds later. Her hair was in a long braid, wearing an orange t-shirt and shorts. "Hi Maylene!" She quickly trapped the pinkette into a hug. "It's so good to see you!"

Maylene chuckled, hugging her back with her free arm. "It's good to see you too. Happy Birthday! You look really pretty today~"

Candice let go of her, bouncing on the balls of her feet, grinning brightly. "Awe, thank you. Oh, did you wanna put your dress in here? For Nova when we come back?"

"Oh! That'd be great." Maylene handed the pink, purple and orange dress to Candice, who held it up. "Woah, this is _gorgeous_." She quickly ran to her bedroom, returning a minute later.

"Ready to go?" Maylene asked.

"Oh, definitely. I'm _starving_." Candice replied, shutting and locking the gym doors. _So far I don't see how she's any different…_ Maylene thought. "Flygon!" Maylene called, her Pokémon still on the roof. "Get down here."

The Pokémon followed the command, settling down in the snow. "Thank you for not throwing a tantrum." She gave Flygon a quick pat on the head. "Yeah, he hates anything cold." She said to Candice. Candice nodded, "I can tell. How've you been, buddy?"

Flygon hissed, causing Candice to flinch. Maylene flicked the side of his head. "Hey! Be nice. It's her birthday." Flygon stuck its snout up, making Candice giggle.

The two jumped on the Pokémon's back, flying them to Sunyshore. Flygon dropped them off right in front of the Letizia, and Maylene quickly brought him back into the PokéBall. The girls walked in and were seated fairly quickly, their orders taken just as fast.

So, now it was just them.

For the first time in weeks.

"Alright, birthday girl," Maylene said, causing Candice to look up from her glass of lemonade. "Tell me how things have been."

Candice sighed, "It's been alright. I've had more challengers than ever, which is awesome. I've been hanging around with Sabrina and Skyla—"

_There it is._

"—A lot more lately, they're really nice, I want you to meet them."

"And how about your love life?" Maylene already knew it was rocky, but she tried her best to act unknowing.

Candice sighed, shaking her head. "I wish I could say it's alright. I…don't really know what's in store for me in that department."

Maylene raised a brow, "Why, what's going on?"

"Me and Volkner had a fight about two nights ago. He was…he was really mad."

"Oh no. What happened? I mean, if you don't wanna talk about it that's completely fine—"

"No, it's fine. I can tell you anything, Maylene." Candice smiled weakly. "I wanted to introduce him to Sabrina and Skyla because they're really great and I always talk about Volkner, and they told me to call him over to the gym so they could meet him. I didn't really see a problem with that—"

Candice was interrupted by their fettuccini alfredo and orecchiette pasta arriving. They immediately dug in, and Candice continued her story.

"Anyway, Volkner came to the gym, and they met him, and I thought it was going fine. I love to show off Volkner. He's so great, and he's worth it, and I don't understand why he doesn't like it. It's kind of like 'he's-mine-not-yours-so-suck-it'. People always thought I wouldn't be successful when it came to love, and…it's great to prove them wrong. But he hates it. And I slipped up and I called him 'it' instead of 'he', because Skyla kept saying 'it' and I could tell it was bothering him and Skyla shouldn't have done that, but it happened, and I said it, and he was royally pissed. He told me to stop treating him like he's property, and I really didn't mean to, and I told him that, and he didn't believe me. He stormed out after that. I tried calling him and calling him but…nothing."

Maylene stopped dining on her orecchiette pasta, looking at her with gentle eyes. _Okay, I've heard both sides. Now what?_

"Is he gonna break up with me, Maylene?"

_Probably._ "I don't know, sweetie."

"I don't know if I could take losing him. He's always been there, he's always been my rock. He's supportive, and sweet, and he's an amazing listener. There are days when I don't think I deserve him, but there's also days where I _know_ I do. It hasn't been like that since we got home from Hoenn."

"Candice…"

"I don't wanna lose him, Maylene." Candice said softly, twirling her fork in her pasta. "I can't imagine life without him."

"Did you tell Skyla she shouldn't have been calling Volkner 'it'?"

Candice shook her head. "No; she really is a nice girl, I promise. We had had a couple drinks already that night—"

_Ooookay, when did Candice start drinking? This is news._

"—And I guess she was just buzzing a little."

Maylene shook her head, "I'm really sorry sweetie, I really am. But…You shouldn't blame this on alcohol. Maybe…maybe she's not as nice as you think."

"No, May, trust me, she's so sweet, and she's so much fun. Skyla opened my eyes to new things. I've met so many people through the parties we've been to, and—"

"Did she get you into drinking?"

Candice hesitated, and then she nodded. Maylene sighed, "Candice that's not a life I want you living—does Volkner know you drink now?"

She nodded again. "He just thinks I do it socially."

"…You do it more than socially?"

She nodded a third time, slowly. "I'm sorry, Maylene! Please don't think any less of me. I just…it's…I can't explain it."

Maylene raised up a hand, "I don't want you to explain anything. I can't think any less of you, you're one of my best friends. Just…don't do it so often, okay? I don't want you hurting your body."

Candice nodded, stuffing fettuccini into her mouth.

_Alright, time for a subject change._ "How's Riley and Cynthia?"

Candice smiled, "They're so great." _Good call on the subject change, brain._ "Riley's now temporarily staying at the gym with me until he can find a place of his own. My mom _adores_ Cynthia, it's ridiculous. Oh, one time, we all went out to dinner…"

After that little speed bump about Candice's new infatuation with alcohol, the rest of lunch went by very smoothly. They finished eating around six, and headed back to Candice's gym to change for Nova—but really, it was for the party.

Maylene was in her purple, pink and orange dress, her pink locks wavy. There were silver bangles on both of her wrists, her lips covered in a deep ruby red lipstick (courtesy of Candice) and her makeup done (also Candice).

"Candice, hurry up. They're gonna start letting people in soon, and we should get there before it reaches full capacity!" Maylene called from down in the arena, still wearing her sneakers.

"Okay, okay, I'm ready!"

Maylene looked up at the staircase, Candice parading down in her blue and white zig zag dress, with silver heels and her hair in a side pony draped across her shoulder. Her eyes were done with smoky dark makeup, and her lips were pink and shimmery.

"You look gorgeous." Maylene said honestly. Candice smiled, "No, look at you, you look downright _sexy_!" Candice laughed. Her eyes scanned her ensemble, stopping at her feet. "No. No, no, no. You are _not_ wearing sneakers to a _club_ are you serious. Let me go find you a pair of heels in my room—"

Maylene looked down at her shoes. "Oh! I have some pumps at Fantina's villa, remember when her and Wallace renewed their wedding vows? We could swing by there and pick them up. It'll be fast, I promise."

Candice sighed, "Alright. I'll call us a cab." She whipped out her cell phone, dialing a number and pressing it against her ear. She mumbled something to the operator, and shut her phone a few minutes later.

"There's a cab coming to get us, we should be at Hearthome in twenty minutes."

_Twenty minutes. So, that should be around…seven-fifteen, perfect._ Candice started walking towards the doors, Maylene trailing behind her, shooting a quick text to Fantina.

_Leaving Snowpoint w/ Candice—arriving to your place in twenty minutes._

The cab ride to Hearthome was mainly the driver flirting with Candice, and asking what a few "fine dames" like themselves were doing in Hearthome. He pulled up to the villa and the two girls got out before they could answer.

"Alright, let's just hurry up. I'm itching to dance, and I haven't had a drink since Skyla and Sabrina were here."

Maylene stopped in her tracks, turning around and looking at Candice, who walked right past her. _Oh, okay. Ouch_.

She quickly waved the cab to leave, the driver not having to be told twice. He pulled off without a sound.

Maylene jogged to catch up with her, finally at the door. She opened it, the lights off. The pinkette smiled. _Alright, let's do this._

"Alright let's grab your shoes and get going, the line is going to be out the door and I hate—"

Maylene quickly flicked on the lights.

"SURPRISE!"

* * *

><p>Candice looked around the room, which was filled with people, and beautifully decorated, thanks to the wonderful Fantina. Music started bumping, people filing onto the makeshift dance floor.<p>

Candice still stood at the door. Maylene, now holding her gift box, pushed it out towards her. "Happy Birthday."

The Ice-type trainer finally spoke. "You…you guys did all this for me?"

"Well, it was mostly Riley's idea."

As if it were on cue, Riley appeared with Cynthia, dressed in his blue blazer and slacks. "Happy Birthday, little sis!" He grinned, trapping her in a hug. Her shoulders were shaking.

"T-Thanks, you guys. This…this is just wonderful."

"Well, instead of crying about it, you big baby, how about you go party it up?"

Candice laughed, wiping her eyes, "I should. Thanks again. This is…really great." She turned to Maylene who was still extending the box to her. She took it, smiling at it.

"Caaaandiiiiiice!"

The two turned around, two rather loud girls walking towards them. One had tanned skin with dark red hair, wearing a lilac cocktail dress with a drink in her hand. The other had pale skin and dark hair, wearing a black dress that was too low cut and too short and snug in all the wrong places. It was hard to decipher that getup as 'cute'. Candice grinned, "Skyla? Sabrina? Oh my God, _everyone's_ here!" She hugged them both. She turned back to Maylene, "Oh, this is Skyla and Sabrina. Guys, this is Maylene. She's one of my best friends." Her eyes were gentle. She…she was serious.

"Hi." Maylene said shyly.

"Goddamn, _you_ are a fine piece of _ass_!" Skyla hooted, wrapping an arm around Maylene's bare shoulders. The pinkette winced, wiggling out of her touch.

"Skyla…Bri, is she already gone?" Candice asked Sabrina. Sabrina chuckled, putting a hand on her hip. "Yeah, Fantina unlocked the liquor cabinet, she was the first one up there."

Candice laughed, "Awe yeah! I'm in dire need of some fuel. Take me there, quick!"

Sabrina began laughing too, linking arms with Candice and walking away towards the kitchen, leaving Maylene alone. Candice never even opened her gift.

"So, are you into girls?" Skyla asked, biting her bottom lip. Maylene's eye widened, chuckling nervously. "Oh, um, I'd answer, but, situations, over there. Bye!" She scurried past the drunken gym leader, searching for a familiar face.

"Volkner!"

The blond turned around, dressed in a pale blue button down shirt and black slacks with a drink glass in his hand. He smiled warmly, "Hey, Maylene."

She trapped him in a hug, the Electric-type trainer not hesitating to hug her back tightly. "I'm happy you decided to come!" Maylene said excitedly after the hug had drawn to a close.

"Yeah, I think it would've been rude if I didn't show up." He gave her a quick up and down glance. "You look great by the way."

"Really? You don't think it's too much? Candice did my makeup, I wasn't sure if it was too dark or not—"

"You look beautiful, now stop your worrying."

Maylene smiled, "Thanks."

"Um, Volkner?"

The two turned around, Candice standing in front of them shyly. There was a "Birthday Princess" sash hanging on her shoulder, a red cup held up by her finger tips down by her side. Volkner's faced tensed. "Hey."

"Can we talk?"

Maylene looked back from Candice to Volkner, chuckling nervously. "I think someone in the opposite direction is calling me…" She quickly shuffled out of the way, watching Candice take Volkner's hand and leading him towards the stairs, possibly finding a private place to talk.

"I found her!"

Maylene looked up, relaxing as she saw Whitney skipping towards her. She was wearing a white and gold strapless dress that Maylene personally found too short but she didn't have the heart to tell her. She looked great.

Steven followed right behind her, wearing a dark red button down with a black vest and black slacks. He looked like he did when they first met; it was nostalgic.

"You guys made it!" Maylene said, happily hugging her baby cousin. "Whitney, where did you even get this outfit? It's so pretty!"

"I found it in the back of your closet. Seriously, if you dig really deep, you'll find a bunch of old dresses."

Maylene smiled, looking to Steven. "And look at you, cleaning up nicely!"

Steven chuckled, "I could've gone all out Pokémon League attire, but I knew you would've been angry."

"I would've." She laughed, briefly kissing her Hoenn champion. Whitney had skipped off and was now with Aaron and Phoebe, dancing away. Maylene smiled, turning back to Steven. "So, where's the birthday girl?" Steven asked.

Maylene sighed, "She's with Volkner, hopefully working things out." The song suddenly changed, an even beat laced with trance synth leaving the speakers, causing Maylene to unknowingly tap her foot.

"I'm guessing you're ready to dance?" Steven asked, nodding along to the music.

'**Giddy up and gold mine, different place, different time, all the stars are in their prime…'**

"Oh, Steven Stone is asking _me_ to dance? When I do recall a few months ago, I was the one asking him?" Maylene teased.

'…**Pastel trailer park, stars so bright to hide the dark, all is quiet in the yard…'**

"I guess so, so are we gonna dance or not? You wouldn't believe it, but I learned a few moves since we last boogied."

Maylene was practically cackling, "Boogied? Since you used that word, I've gotta see if it's true!"

XXXX

The night was going perfectly. Everyone was dancing, laughing, drinking, celebrating. Maylene had gone back and forth from dancing with a group of her girlfriends to Steven to Whitney. As the night progressed, though, the more alcohol Candice consumed. Her and Volkner shared a slow dance, though, so they must've worked things out. Now it was going on twelve at night, the party still going strong. Since Fantina's villa was located in such an out of reach place, they could be as loud and happy as they wanted. Maylene had retreated to the couch in the living room with Gardenia and Winona, who were dancing just as hard as she was. Whitney was probably still was Aaron, Maylene was sure they had a thing together, but she'd save the questioning for tomorrow, and Steven was hanging around with Flint and Roark, she assumed.

"Can we all just take a minute," Winona said, her words slightly slurred, "And appreciate Byron break dancing. I nearly peed myself from laughing so hard."

"That man has the moves. I bet that's where Roark gets it from." Gardenia said, who, too, was a bit tipsy. She finished her statement with a small hip thrust, falling back onto the couch. Winona and Maylene hooted with laughter.

"Speaking of moves, where's the birthday girl?"

Maylene shrugged, taking a small swig of her water. She was the only one of three who wasn't buzzed—one drink was enough for her. "She's probably on the dance floor or something. She's wasted out of her mind."

"Not as wasted as her two sidekicks." Winona added, "That Skyla broad nearly shed her dress when Grum came on, it was ridiculous."

"Yeah, and she was pretty much molesting Brawly on the dance floor—"

"Wait, wait." Maylene interrupted, her mind going in overdrive. "B…Brawly's here?"

Gardenia nodded, rolling her eyes, "He crashed, asked Candice if he could stay, and she's too wasted to even grasp the concept of judgment, and said he could stay. They've danced a couple of times, I don't know if Volkner noticed."

Maylene groaned, lying back on the couch, wanting the fabric to engulf her. Candice and Volkner are _finally_ in an alright place, and she goes and dances with the guy who pushed them out of that place. Maylene could already tell this wouldn't end well.

"Her friend Sabrina was egging it on." Winona said, chugging the last of her beer. "I don't like that chick. She seems harmless, but still. She's got a sneaky essence; the type of girl to tell you she's coming over to hang out but when you step out to pick up the pizza she fucks your brother."

"Well if she tries to touch Roark, I'll personally kill her." Gardenia said, sadistically cheerful about it. The song changed again, a blocky, yet even beat shaking the house. Winona seemed to have recognized it, automatically getting up from her seat, leaving her cup on the coffee table in front of her. "Alright, I need to dance some more. Any of you joining me?"

Gardenia shook her head, "I can barely stand."

Maylene stood up, adjusting her dress. "I'll dance. My foot fell asleep anyway, time to wake it up."

Winona took Maylene's hand, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet as the two walked back to the hardwood dining room, where it was packed tight with people. It was a good idea that Fantina cleared out all of the furniture, or it would've been even tighter with plenty of broken valuables. There was a strobe light flashing in the room, the music bumping. Winona and Maylene got in there, though, jumping up and down and flailing and laughing—Maylene enjoyed it a lot.

They had been dancing for about ten minutes, until Maylene caught a glimpse of blond storm out of the house, a zig zag pattern chasing after it. Maylene stopped jumping, focusing on the zig zag. It was Candice—she was standing by the door, her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking.

_Oh no. Now we've got a ruined birthday._

Maylene quickly pushed through the people to get to Candice, who was being comforted by Sabrina. "What happened?" Maylene demanded.

"Volkner, he…He's…" She broke into another sob, almost inaudible due to the volume of the music. Maylene turned to Sabrina, hoping for something, anything. Sabrina shrugged, "I know just as much as you do!"

"Damnit!" Maylene hissed. She gave Candice another pat on the back, flinging open the door and running outside.

"Volkner? Are you out here?" She called. The still quiet of the night was almost foreign to her ears. It was almost unsettling.

She walked further down the driveway, her bare feet making a faint smacking noise against the pavement. "Volkner, I just wanna talk to you. If you don't wanna talk, that's fine, just let me know you're out here!"

Maylene heard the rustle of grass, quickly turning around in the direction of the sound. Volkner emerged from the side of the villa, his hands stuffed in his pockets, his eyes red.

He had been crying.

_Oh God, what happened now!_

"Oh my God, Volkner." A wave of relief washed over her as she jogged over towards him, her hand gently touching his arm. "What happened?"

Volkner ripped his arm away from her touch, running his fingers through his hair. He exhaled sharply through his nose. "She was kissing him again."

"She was kissing who?"

"Brawly!" Volkner shouted, quickly getting a hold of himself after seeing Maylene flinch. "We talked, we were alright, and I go off to find her, and Brawly's on top of her in one of the bedrooms." He took another breath, "She acted like such a victim, but she's the one hurting people." He let out a yell, banging his fist against the house.

Maylene didn't know what to do. She should keep her distance—but she wanted to wrap her arms around him and protect him. She wanted to help. She wanted to be there.

"Volkner!"

Emerging around the corner was Candice, her face red and streaked with tears. Sabrina was right behind her. "Volkner, Volkner, I'm so—!"

"Shut up!" Volkner shouted, taking a step towards her. "I'm sick of this! I should've never given you a second chance! How dare you use my affection against me? I'm not always gonna forgive you, Candice. This is one of those times." He took a shaky breath. "We're done. We're so done. I'm done. This? This is done." He could barely get a sentence out.

"No, please, I didn't mean to—"

"You didn't mean to?" Volkner chuckled darkly, "You just _somehow_ ended up under the person you cheated on me with before? You _somehow_ ended up making out? Yeah, it was totally an accident, right?"

"Volkner, please—!"

"I am done passing out second chances to you, Candice."

"Don't leave me!" Candice screamed, her whole body shaking. Sabrina & Maylene flinched, taking cautious steps back. "I don't know what I'd do without you! Please, please, don't leave!"

"You don't know what you'd do without me?" Volkner repeated, "Well you better figure it out. We're done." He pushed past her and stormed away, out of the driveway, down the sidewalk, until he couldn't be seen.

Candice sobbed again, falling to her knees, her forehead touching the pavement. Maylene looked at her friend, hunched over and crumbling into nothing. She turned to Sabrina, a panicked expression on her face.

"I need you to go get Gardenia, and just Gardenia. Can you do that?" Maylene demanded. Sabrina nodded, running back into the house.

Maylene got down on the pavement next to her, wrapping her arms around Candice's shoulders, the brunette burying her head into Maylene's bare shoulder, her crying becoming louder. Maylene shut her eyes, tuning out everything except for Candice's voice, words of regret slipping out between her sobs. Gardenia came out in silence, sitting on Candice's other side, resting a hand on her back. Maylene & Gardenia shared a look, no words needed. She already knew what happened.

The clock struck one in the morning. The minutes just ticked away. The party was still going. The only thing that mattered right now was the broken gym leader in Maylene's arms, and how much duct tape it was going to take to put her back together.

Needless to say, it was going to take a lot.

* * *

><p><strong>And this, my friends, is why you hate me.<strong>

**Because the power couple is no more.**

**I... am so sorry.**

**I probably made it too dramatic, I apologize.**

**And I really shouldn't write when I'm sleep deprived, a lot of this probably didn't flow well at all.**

**I thought it'd be really funny to make Skyla a party animal. I'm sorry for that as well.**

**Also, Chapter number 2 without Evelyn.**

**/sobs.**

**Songs referenced:**

**Longest Road (Deadmau5 Remix) - Deadmau5 (It's the super rare one!)**

**Green Bottle - Feed Me (The blocky, even beat)**

**The angst train starts now.**

**Until next time.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Perfect Match

**Well, pardon my tardiness!**

**Hello hello!**

**Um, okay, I was stuck on ideas, and of course, I'm still sleep deprived, so yeah, a lot of this miiiiiiight be a little rushed and confusing.**

**I TRIED U GUYS.**

**Oh, more reason to hate me in this chapter.**

**SPOILER ALERT A THIRD CHAPTER WITHOUT EVELYN.**

**Anyway, enjoy, enjoy!**

**Oh, and from here on out, this is rated M. So if you don't think you can handle swears, underaged sex, and drinking, YOU HATH BEEN WARNED.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

><p>Maylene didn't remember falling asleep.<p>

She didn't remember taking Candice home.

And she didn't remember ending up on one of the couches in her room.

She sat up, greeted with a pounding headache. She was still in that pink, purple and orange dress, her previously wavy and flirty hair now a tangled mess shooting in different directions. On the love seat adjacent to the one Maylene was currently on was Gardenia, sleeping like a log. Candice was curled up in her bed, sleeping just as peacefully.

Maylene sighed, reaching for her purse on the floor next to the couch, fumbling for her phone. There were a few text messages from Steven, a few from Whitney…

…But there was one from Volkner.

She quickly sorted through the other messages, opening Volkner's and bracing herself.

Volkner: 10:45am

_Call me as soon as you can._

Maylene swallowed. She wanted to call him; she just didn't know what to expect. She shot him back a quick response.

You: 11:14am

_I'll come by the gym later. That alright?_

She wasn't sure if seeing him was such a good idea. She was friends with both Candice and Volkner; the question was would one get angry at her for checking in on the other. She decided that that was a road she'll cross when she came to it. She read through the texts from Steven, since there were about four.

Steven Stone: 3:56am

_Flint & I went to go see if Volkner's alright. Might end up staying there if we have to._

Steven Stone: 4:10am

_He's in bad shape, May._

Steven Stone: 6:30am

_Spent the night w/ Flint and Volkner. Assuming you're with Candice. Whitney's with Flannery and Winona back at the gym._

Steven Stone: 6:53am

_Don't know if it's a good idea to leave Volkner alone; most likely spending the day here._

Maylene's breath caught in her throat. Now she was worried. If Volkner was as unstable as Steven was implying, she _had_ to go see him. Her mind was in overdrive now—she really shouldn't leave Candice alone, but Volkner wants to talk to her, and she needed to see him—

Needed?

Maylene mentally groaned. _Oh right, I still like him a little._

"Ugh…"

Maylene turned to the adjacent couch, Gardenia slowly sitting up, her hand on her head. "I forgot how bad hangovers were." She said softly. Maylene smiled weakly, "Good morning."

"Morning…do you happen to remember how we ended up here?"

Maylene shook her head, "I was about to ask you that. Steven was texting me last night, him and Flint stayed with Volkner."

Gardenia bit her lip. "How is he?"

Maylene glanced over at Candice, who was still sound asleep. "He's…he's not in good shape." She said quietly. "That's why they stayed. They might stick around for the day, that's how bad he is."

Gardenia sighed. "I think we should do the same. Stick around with Candice. I don't wanna leave her alone either. They've been with each other for eleven months, and the breakup was so sudden and intense. This is gonna be hard for both of them to recover."

Maylene's phone buzzed. She figured it was a text from Steven, so she checked it.

Volkner: 11:35am

_I don't care when, I just wanna see you._

Maylene's heart pounded.

"Who texted you?" Gardenia asked, lying back on the couch.

"Oh, it's Steven. He was telling me where Whitney was so I wouldn't worry." She lied, shooting back a reply.

You: 11:36am

_You'll be with the guys, are you sure?_

"Do you think it'd be awkward if we went to check on Volkner also?" Gardenia said suddenly. Maylene looked up from her phone, her shoulders relaxing.

"I was gonna ask you that. We should see him tomorrow; Candice should be our main priority today."

Gardenia nodded, pulling out her own cell phone. Maylene's buzzed once again.

Volkner: 11:38am

_Come by tonight, then? Seven-ish? They should be gone by then._

You: 11:41am

_I'll be there._

Volkner: 11:42am

_Thanks for caring._

You: 11:42am

_I'll never stop caring._

A soft groan caught the two girls' attention, Candice rolling over to face them. Her beige eyes were bloodshot and red, her face pale. She hugged the blankets around her tightly. "I was hoping that was all a dream. But we're still in our party clothes. So I'm guessing it wasn't a dream."

Maylene and Gardenia shared a glance, Candice burying her face into the pillow. "I hate everything."

Maylene hopped up off the couch, walking over to Candice's bed and flopping down next to her. Candice looked at her, biting down on her lip—she looked about ready to cry again. "Can you tell us what happened? If you can remember, that is." Maylene said gently.

Candice sniffled, shaking her head. "I don't remember much. I…I remember Brawly being there. I remember dancing with him. I…also remember both of us half naked in Fantina's guest room…and everything after that." Tears trickled down her face. "I'm so fucking stupid. I lost the best thing that ever happened to me because I was drunk and horny."

She huddled under the covers, trembling and sobbing gently. Maylene threw her upper body on top of the heap under the blankets, awkwardly hugging her.

"I don't know what life's gonna be like now," Candice muttered, "I never went a day without talking to him. Now, he…he hates my guts."

Gardenia joined the pile, petting the fabric over her head. "You're alright." She hushed gently, Candice shaking under her touch. Gardenia huffed softly, "It's gonna be a rough road from here on out. Do you think you're prepared?"

"Of course not!" Candice snapped, flipping over the blankets and sitting up, her face red and her eyes glassy. Maylene and Gardenia were thrown from their pile, now sitting in front of her. "He matters so much to me, and now I have to go about my life pretending I'm alright, and pretending he doesn't exist. I have to muster up so much willpower that I don't even have to not fly to his gym and beg _on my knees_ for forgiveness. I have to dig _even deeper_ for _more_ willpower to not break down crying every two fucking seconds." She panted, clutching the blankets so hard her knuckles were white. Her grip loosened, her breathing becoming more even. She looked up at Gardenia, more tears spilling out of the corners of her eyes.

"So no, I don't think I'm prepared. Not…one…bit."

XXXX

Candice told them they could go back to their respective gyms and shower, but Maylene & Gardenia didn't trust her enough by herself; they didn't know what she'd do. She was dragged to Eterna City with Gardenia while Maylene headed back to Veilstone to check up on Whitney and possibly Steven, who she assumed was still with Volkner and Flint.

The gym was quiet when she came in. It was a little after one, she expected Whitney to be up and about. It was likely that Winona and Flannery were in the lounge behind the secret door, but right now, a shower and getting back to Candice were her main priorities.

Maylene tip-toed up the silver stairs, carefully turning the maroon door knob and opening the door. She could already see through the crack that the air mattress was neatly made. The more she opened it, though, the more clothes were splayed across the floor, some of them belonging neither to her nor Whitney, and they were too earth toned for Steven to own.

Her jaw dropped.

She flung the door open, her theory proven true.

Sleeping under _her_ sheets was _her_ baby cousin, probably completely naked, snuggled next to a head of lime green hair.

Her _fifteen_ year old cousin was with—

"NO!" Maylene roared, causing the two to jump up, tangled between each other's limbs and the sheets, Whitney hugging the blankets against her _bare fucking chest_. They were both panting in fear.

"What the flying _fuck_!" The fighter boomed.

"May, I can explain—!" Whitney stammered, reaching absently around the carpet for a shirt. Maylene's fiery magenta eyes darted towards Aaron, who was running his hand through his tangled mob of hair, chuckling nervously. "G-Good morning, Maylene—"

Maylene cut him off by raising a hand, her nostrils flaring. Did this _creep_ just deflower her _little cousin_? Who only _just_ turned fifteen _two months ago_?

"I'm only going to say this once, bug boy." Maylene growled, "If you're not out of this gym in fifteen seconds, I will personally show you _what the inside of your asshole looks like_."

"Maylene, don't be so brash—!"

"One…"

Aaron threw back the blankets, hopping over Whitney and scrambling for his clothes, flailing around the room in just his boxers.

"TWO…"

He only managed his brown slacks and dress shirt, quickly kissing the corner of Whitney's mouth and darting past Maylene, the door to the gym slamming just a few seconds later.

She slammed her bedroom door, taking a few steps towards Whitney, who was currently throwing on a large t-shirt.

"Your turn." Maylene snarled. "Start talking, and I swear to everything, you better be telling me nothing but the truth, do you hear me?"

Whitney was silent.

"_Whitney_!"

"Okay, okay!" Whitney shouted, holding up her hands defensively, promptly folding her arms. "Winona and Flannery took me back here after you left with Candice and Gardenia. We were in the lounge playing video games, and then Aaron came over and…" She sighed, cupping her hands around her face. She always did that when she was embarrassed, which unsettled Maylene to the core.

"…We kind of had sex after Winona and Flannery passed out."

Maylene shrieked. _He really did deflower my baby cousin_.

She was now entering mommy mode; and Lord knows it's bad when Maylene enters mommy mode.

"Jesus _Christ_ Whitney! You are fifteen years old, and you let some _pervert_ come in _my gym_ and _violate _you in _my goddamn bed_!"

"May, he's seventeen! And he didn't violate me, it was mutual!"

"I don't give a shit how old he is! You're fifteen, you shouldn't be having sex!" Maylene pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling sharply. She looked back at her cousin, who was slouching, as if the further she was, the venom Maylene was spitting wouldn't touch her.

"I guess now's the part where I have to punish you."

"Maylene…" Whitney whined.

"No, Whit, I have to. You had sex in my fucking _bed_, for starters, which is already bad enough." Maylene took a breath, "Firstly, you have to clean the gym every night at closing for a month. _Including _my bedroom."

Whitney groaned.

Maylene wagged a finger, "Uh-uh, I'm not finished. Second, you're not seeing Aaron for two weeks. I'll have Machoke on guard duty, and if he even _tries_ to slip in here, I give Machoke permission to _strangle_ him."

"That's a little harsh—"

"Woah, who told you I was even _close _to being done? Third, your curfew is ten o' clock. If you're not in this gym at ten _sharp_ I will send Lucario after you, and he has your scent, don't even _try_ to evade him. Lastly, I'm enrolling you in school out here."

"Oh come on, I go to school back in Goldenrod—!"

"You're gonna be here for a while, I know that much."

Whitney flopped back on the bed, covering her face with her hands. "Are you done?"

Maylene nodded, smiling. "Yes, that is all." She started fumbling through one of her drawers for a towel. "I'm gonna be with Candice and Gardenia for the day, and Steven's gonna be with Volkner. Are Winona and Flannery still here?"

"I don't know, probably."

"You'll be spending the day with them, after you wash these sheets and vacuum."

Whitney groaned again, Maylene mentally laughing. _Damn, I'm good at this parenting thing. _She swaggered towards the bathroom, feeling _much_ better about herself as a disciplinary.

"May?"

Maylene turned around, her fingers dancing on the door knob. "Whatsup?"

"Are…are Candice and Volkner…?"

Maylene winced, shaking her head. "No." Then, her eyes widened. "Whitney!"

"Yeah?"

She poked her head out of the bathroom door. "Did Aaron use protection?"

Whitney nodded, "I told him I wasn't going through with it unless he used a condom."

The corners of Maylene's mouth twitched upward. "Thank you for being safe."

XXXX

Turns out, Winona and Flannery _were _still there. After Maylene had taken a long shower and dressed more comfortably in yoga pants and red V-neck shirt, she informed the two hungover gym leaders of Whitney's punishments, and to take her out for the day, and that they were welcomed to crash at her gym for a few days if they wanted. That offer excited Flannery—she got the chance to hang out with Flint.

So now Maylene was back with Gardenia and Candice, relaxing at the local park in Hearthome City, basking in the afternoon sun, Gardenia braiding Candice's hair while Maylene was sprawled out in the grass, a gentle breeze rolling the green blades, brushing against locks of hair. It was a nice way to spend the day, since they still had pounding headaches from last night.

"Alright, would you rather eat a Cherrim or ride a Magnemite?"

Somewhere between the breeze and the chirp of birds, a game of Would You Rather ensued.

Gardenia frowned at the options. "I love Cherrim. Am I sitting on top of the Magnemite? Like…the screw?"

Maylene nodded. Gardenia groaned, running her fingers through Candice's hair to ensure there were no tangles. "I guess I'll sit on the Magnemite. I love Grass-type Pokémon."

"I'd eat the Cherrim. Have you ever had Cherrim salads?" Candice smiled gently, Gardenia flicking at her ear. "Cherrim is a defenseless creature! That was a bad one, Maylene."

Maylene sat up on her elbows, looking at her friends. "Alright, fine. Candice, your turn."

Candice tilted her head in thought, only to be straightened again by Gardenia. She snapped her fingers. "Okay, would you rather have a one night stand with Blaine, but you _have _to call him the next day, or have a three-way with Koga and Janine?"

Gardenia pulled a face, "God, Candice, you're so gross!"

Maylene laughed, "That's a good one, though!" She thought for a moment. "Any consequences with the three-way?"

"Um…Oh! Koga has that weird homeless man beard, like he does when Janine has to go back to school in Unova."

Maylene gagged, "Yuck, it's like he never washes that thing! But Blaine is so _weird_; he'd probably spray me with a Burn Heal after it."

Gardenia fell over laughing.

"I guess I'd take the three-way." Maylene decided.

"I'd definitely take the one night stand." Gardenia said after she had calmed down from her laughing fit, "I like Blaine, he's really nice."

"You better have a Burn Heal, though!"

Commence more laughter.

Candice pushed her bangs out of her face, her smile easing Maylene's nerves. She looked relaxed, she looked a little bit more composed than this morning. She looked better. "Okay Gardenia, your turn."

"Hm…Would you rather marry Crasher Wake, and you _have_ to stay married for two years, or live with Fantina for a year, and you have to go to her contests?"

"Easy, live with Fantina. She tends to talk too much, but that beats Crasher Wake." Maylene said without hesitation.

"I dunno, being married to Wake could be really interesting. I don't get how his wife does it, though." Candice pointed out.

Maylene's brows furrowed, "I forgot he had a wife, we usually never see her."

"Cheryl's so sweet; and she's a champion for dealing with Wake." Gardenia said, "She's usually at the daycare in Solaceon City, she works there."

"Cheryl? Why does that sound so familiar…?"

"She's also Aaron's mother," Candice replied, "That's why Aaron and Wake are so close, that's his stepdad."

Maylene froze at the mention of Aaron's name, sitting up and growling under her breath.

"Woah, Maylene, are you okay?" Gardenia laughed, "I didn't know you do Houndoom impressions. It could use some work, though."

Maylene shook her head, "No, you mentioned Aaron, and it reminded me I have a story to tell you."

Candice flopped on her stomach, looking up at Maylene with her sandy eyes. "Listening."

"When I went back to the gym to clean myself up, Aaron and Whitney were in my bed. They had sex last night."

Gardenia's face scrunched together again, "Oh, ew."

"I know. I could tell they had a thing going on, but…I thought Whitney would know better."

"Is she being punished or did you let it slide?" Candice asked, picking at the grass.

"Of course I punished her. I set up so many rules. I felt like such a mom, it was…" Maylene couldn't help but smile. "It was great, really."

"Oh no, when Momma Maylene kicks it, you know shit's getting real." Gardenia chimed in, the three girls hooting with laughter.

The laughter was interrupted by a stomach growling violently.

"That actually wasn't me this time." Maylene quickly protested. Candice raised her hand, "That was me. I'm starving. I haven't really eaten since…you know." Her eyes went downcast to the grass.

"How about we get something to eat?" Gardenia said quickly, obviously avoiding more tears and sadness when she had been doing so well. "There's a new pancake place in Orebourgh City. Pancakes make everyone happy. It's a proven fact, ask the internet."

* * *

><p>Once their stomachs were full of pancakes and eggs and other breakfast foods, Maylene departed from the two girls to go check on Whitney, but promised to meet them at Candice's gym later.<p>

Her visit to the gym was quick, she was mostly just checking to see if Aaron was there or if Whitney had snuck out; but no, she was watching a movie with Winona, informing Maylene that Flannery was out with a group of people consisting of Flint, Steven, Misty, Falkner, and Elesa.

That meant Volkner was by himself.

Maylene jumped on the opportunity and took Flygon to Sunyshore, the city an eerie type of quiet. The usually bustling town filled with night owls contained only a few stragglers on the streets, the hum of the solar paneled bridge louder than usual. Flygon landed in front of the gym, pestering Maylene to let him take her inside.

"No, Flygon," Maylene said gently, "I doubt he's in the mood for playing."

Flygon pouted, the red beam of light sucking him up into his designated PokéBall. She turned back to the gym doors, her knuckles hovering over the foggy glass.

_Do I wanna knock?_ Maylene bit her lip, _What if he doesn't wanna see me? What if someone's already here?_

Her fist acted before she could decide, gently tapping against the glass. Her shoulders tensed, bracing herself, hoping he would answer the door.

She stood there for a minute, nobody coming to the door. She raised her fist again to knock, but the door swung open and she was face to face with electric blue eyes and shocking blond hair.

"Maylene…" Volkner exhaled.

Maylene smiled, "Hi."

They just stood there, staring at each other in the darkness, the street lights illuminating their skin, the faint buzz of the bridge and their breathing to only audible sounds.

"Oh, um, shit, come in." Volkner stammered, stepping aside. Maylene stepped in, the bright lights in the gym and the canary yellow wallpaper surrounding the arena making her squint. "Jesus, I've never been inside your gym before, I didn't expect you of all people to decorate it this way, my God."

Volkner chuckled, "Yeah, I didn't pick it out. Good ol' Pokémon League and their wallpaper choices."

"It's kind of ironic, because yellow is energetic and joyful, and you're the exact opposite." Maylene giggled, looking up at him. He smiled down at her.

"Oh, did you want something to drink? I've got water, soda?"

"Um, no thanks, I can't stay long. I just wanted to check on you, and you…seem different. More talkative than I expected."

Volkner shrugged, folding his arms across his chest. "Is it bad that I'm not that sad? I feel like a huge weight is off my shoulders, I feel…free. I dunno. It's not like I don't miss Candice, I do, just…not as much as I thought I would. She's a great girl, just not great for me. She was changing, and I didn't think I could stick around for that." He sighed, "And don't get me started on all the girls Flint's tried to hook me up with, and we just broke up yesterday. This one girl, he told me how we were a 'perfect' match, but she was some gothic thirteen year old who only talked about bands and—"

"This is the most I've ever heard you talk."

Volkner just looked her, blinking a few times. The corner of his mouth quirked up. "Huh. I guess…you're right."

Maylene smiled. And of all the times to do so, her phone was buzzing against her side. She cursed silently, backing up towards the door. "I'm sorry, I really gotta go. I'm glad you're doing better, I'll come by again in a day or two—"

"Wait."

Maylene stopped stammering, the blond stepping closer to her. She was trying to read the look in his eyes but she wasn't getting anything.

"Can I just…I'm sorry, I've been waiting forever."

"Waiting? Waiting for what?"

Her heart pounded as his arm looped around her waist, his free hand tilting her face up to meet his. Her chest was damn near about to explode when he closed to gap between their lips.

She wasn't sure if it was the electricity that was already pulsing in his body or something else, but the spark between their lips was so strong it almost _hurt_.

It was a brief kiss. When he parted, Maylene almost lunged forward for more, but she quickly opened her eyes and stared into his because this was the closest they had ever been to each other and holy _shit_.

"For the perfect match." Her murmured against her lips.

"I…" Maylene said gently, exhaling shakily. "I really have to go."

She slipped out of his arm and bolted out of the gym, standing in darkness with a racing heart and too much confusion for anyone to handle.

She wasn't only confused, but she was scared.

She was scared because she _liked _it.

She was scared because she's dating Steven.

And she liked a kiss _from someone who wasn't Steven._

_What the hell is happening to me?_

* * *

><p><strong>I ship Whitney and Aaron JUDGE ME.<strong>

**BOOM Here comes the Firecrackershipping!**

**Also happy Volkner is cute. n_n**

**Also the would you rather input was for the hell of it because I was feeling a little silly.**

**Oh and I guess I said the angst train was starting here and it kinda did but it'll get worse as we progress.**

**ALRIGHT.**

**UNTIL NEXT TIME~**

**Oh quick sidenote**

**I have recently joined tumblr so if you would like to follow me and shtuff,**

**It's mostly The Avengers and Yu-Gi-Oh! and other thangs.**

**But yeah :D**

** cobalt-eagle . tumblr . com**

**Just remove the spaces!**

**Bye now!**


	6. Chapter 6: Over

**so. hello! it's been a very long time since i've been here. my last update was on this story, in 2012. that was 3 years ago. WOAH.**

**i come back here sometimes to read my old stuff, to laugh at how dumb my stories were. i was always a little sad that i never finished this story, since it was the only one i really liked. so, pair that fact with a case of really bad writer's block, and i gave myself a writing project to do when i wasn't stressed about midterm essays and upcoming exams!**

**i should also mention-when i first uploaded this story, i was in the 10th grade. presently, i'm a freshman in college. so, with that, i can say my writing has improved. i mean, i graduated high school, something had to change.**

**honestly, reading this chapter especially, you'll see where i stopped in 10th grade when i abandoned this story (i had so many outlandish and, frankly, stupid ideas for the direction this story would go in; i wanted to include a hostage situation? what the fuck even?). like, there will be a VERY SUDDEN jump from mediocre to improvement. also, you will see a HELL OF A LOT LESS MISOGYNY THEN IN MY OTHER WRITINGS BECAUSE WOW im so glad i became a feminist and stopped being AWFUL.**

**i should also ALSO mention, that just because i'm completing this story, does not mean i'm officially back and active on here. unfortunately, this'll be the last you'll see of me uploading on here. it's just time to finally close my fanfiction past, y'know? it sort of still follows me since i kept thinking about this little old story.**

**so that should also imply, don't set alerts for my stories. you can fave them, of course, i encourage it! but they aren't getting updated. like, at all. especially the ones that i wrote back in 2010-2011. it's been almost 4-5 years, there will be no new content in those stories, lol. thought i should put that in, since i'm still getting emails about alerts. i just don't want y'all to get your hopes up. so yeah. don't put them on story alert...**

**BUT i do receive notifications through my email about reviews and favorites and such, so, please, feel free to review! i can assure you right now, i _will_ read them.**

**however, i will not be responding to private messages. if you would like to reach out to me for a personal message, you can drop one into my tumblr inbox (_my URL is cosmetic-killer_), and i will definitely respond to you there. i will mention, i do selectively reply to reviews, if i find them funny, or they have a genuine question. but, with PMs, i'd _PREFER_ they get dropped on my tumblr. you'll actually get a reply there.**

**alright, so, i think that's it from me. enjoy! yay!**

* * *

><p>That was two months ago.<p>

Ever since that day, Maylene has tried her best to steer clear of Sunyshore, hoping that the less contact she had with Volkner, her feelings for him would vanish.

Steven returned to Hoenn two days after that, and he and Maylene haven't kept much contact. She's not sure if he knows about the kiss or not, he blames his lack of communication on work, and she just leaves it at that.

Candice is officially back on her feet and is casually seeing a boy named Lucas from Johto. They met at one of Fantina's contests, and they hit it off pretty quickly. Too quickly.

Not everyone was so lucky with relationships, though. Gardenia called it quits with Roark—it was very sudden, and she didn't tell anyone why it happened, not even Candice and Maylene. It's been the elephant in the room during every Pokémon League meeting.

Flint broke up with Flannery. They, only recently, had their first real fight, which ended with Flannery cheating on him—with _two _different guys.

So now, it was Thursday, and Maylene was up at seven in the morning.

Thankfully, it wasn't because of excessive challengers.

It was Whitney's first day at Veilstone High School.

"Lose the cardigan."

"Why? I like the cardigan."

"Black with red is not a great way to start your first day, try the white one. Actually, ditch the red shirt too. Go for white and green, it compliments your hair."

"I'm guessing you match your outfits based on your hair?"

"Back in middle school, yes…Now, that looks _so_ much better."

"I look too bright and happy."

"Shouldn't you look bright and happy?"

"I was going for more…neutral, undecided, yanno? I wanna be mysterious, that'll get me some friends."

Maylene rolled her eyes, following her down the silver stairs towards the glass doors. Whitney picked up a black backpack leaning against a wall by the exit, swinging it over her shoulders.

"Alright, you know where the school is, right?"

"_Yes_, May, I think I know where it is. We pass it every time we go to the department store."

"Alright, I was just checking!" She sighed, pulling her baby cousin into a hug. "Have a great day, Whit."

"I'll try."

Maylene released her, opening the door. "Shoot me a text when you make it, okay? And don't be afraid to ask questions!"

"_Alright_, Momma Maylene! Jesus!" Whitney laughed, walking out of the gym. Maylene shut the door, sighing. She was worried, of course she was. Maylene had never attended high school all four years, and she was scared how Whitney would adjust—she had a feeling Veilstone High would be different from Goldenrod. More kids, more classes. She asked the legendary trio for her baby cousin to have a great first day.

She ascended up the silver stair case to go back to bed because it's _seven in the morning_. She shut her bedroom door behind her, and leaped back into her silver sheets, snuggling up against the pillow. Her eyes fluttered shut, letting sweet unconsciousness take over—but the process was interrupted by the blare of the home phone.

She grunted, rolling over and snatching the thing off its charger, pressing the green _ACCEPT_ button.

"Hello?"

"Maylene?"

Maylene pinched the bridge of her nose, "May I ask who's speaking?"

"This is your Aunt Jen."

Maylene's eyes widened, pushing herself up on the bed into sitting position. Her mouth opened to speak, but she shut it, her brows furrowing.

"How dare you call here _now_, of all times? Why didn't you call three months ago? Whitney's been worried _sick _about your safety."

"I-I know."

"I really don't think you do." Maylene exhaled heavily. "What do you want?"

"I want you to tell Whitney a few things."

Maylene snorted, "Is there a reason why you don't tell her yourself?"

"_Yes_." Jen quipped. "Her safety. Are you going to quit sassing me and listen?"

Maylene shrugged, "I guess. You may proceed, but if I even start to consider bullshit on anything you say, I'm hanging up."

"You won't have to worry. Recently, I had your uncle go check on my husband a few days ago. He was missing. I was worried, I told him to call the police. When the police arrived to the home, they told him they arrested the man that lived there almost a month ago. I also just got a call from the Johto Pokémon League. They told me that they're revoking Whitney's gym leader status due to her long hiatus. They've found another gym leader and are converting it to a Ground-type gym. Could you please let her know these things? And tell her I'm safe in Hoenn."

Maylene let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding in. She ran a shaky hand through her tangled pink hair.

"Maylene? Are you still there?"

She inhaled through her nose. "Don't sit on information like that for three months. Do you even want Whitney back? Do you _honestly_?"

The line was silent, and then came the dial tone. She tossed the phone back on her desk, flopping back on her pillow.

She took that as a no.

XXXX

Around noon, Maylene dragged herself out of bed to get to the monthly Pokémon League meeting, which this time, took place in Eterna City.

"Alright, alright…" Cynthia said, taking a seat at the head of the table. They were in a secluded room downstairs in the Pokémon Center, as usual. She spread a few documents out across the table, promptly leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs.

"This meeting should be short, I've only got a few things to talk about." The champion began. "The most important thing on the agenda is the fact that I've been receiving lots of complaints about certain gyms being closed earlier than the normal closing time. Now, I'm not going to mention _which_ gyms, but you guys should know the rules by now…"

Maylene drummed her fingers against the wooden table, her head resting against the palm of her other hand. Her usually footsie game with Gardenia got boring after a while, since the Grass-type leader was eyeing Flint from across the table. She wasn't sure exactly what kind of relationship they had—she just knew there was something.

Her eyes shot to Candice, who, for once, was actually paying attention to what Cynthia was saying. She was scooted as far away from Volkner as she possibly could be without making Byron uncomfortable. And Volkner—

Volkner.

Volkner had his eyes on Maylene since Cynthia had sat down. He was expressionless; he was thinking. She wasn't exactly sure what he was thinking about—she just knew there was something.

"And that's it for now. Gym Leaders, make sure your gyms stay open from the usual times of one to nine, and Elite Four, you do not challenge anyone else after four o' clock. Meeting adjourned."

Maylene wasn't too impatient to file out, mostly conversing with Candice and Gardenia on the way out to the lobby.

"I wonder who was closing up their gym early…" Gardenia inquired.

"Are you _seriously_ asking that question?" Flint chimed in, popping up next to her. "It's obvious that it's you three."

"Hey, I resent that." Maylene protested, "Whitney's starting school now, sometimes I have to close a little bit early. And it's not by that much either! I hear Candice's gym is always closed."

"Don't pin this on me, Maylene! I took a few days for myself."

"A _few_?" The other three said in unison. Candice reached for her cell phone and studied the screen, dropping it back into her pocket a few seconds later. "Lucas is waiting for me at the gym, we have a lunch date."

"_Oh la la_!" Gardenia purred. Candice narrowed her eyes, "It's been two weeks since we started dating, knock it off. I'll talk to you guys later, bunch of perverts…" She skipped off out the automatic doors, leaving only three.

"She seems better." Flint spoke up. Gardenia nodded, "Yeah, it's great to see." She looked up at the Fire-type trainer. "Ready to go?"

Maylene raised an eyebrow, "Since when do you two hang out?"

"Since right now." Gardenia giggled. She reached over and gave Maylene a friendly kiss on the cheek, "I'll see you later May!" She chirped, linking arms with Flint and walking out of the center.

Maylene sighed, walking out a minute after them into the brisk afternoon sunlight. _I should probably get back to the gym and open it up…or does Cynthia's rule of closing gyms for the whole day on meeting days still apply? I dunno. Maybe I could go get some food? Or—_

"Maylene?"

Maylene turned around, gentle blue eyes staring back at her. It took all of her strength to not turn around and run. She had been doing so well.

"Hi Volkner." She choked out, folding her arms behind her back.

"Is it…is it okay if we talk? It's been bothering me that you're avoiding me, and…" he let himself trail off.

Maylene swallowed thickly, nodding her head quickly. "Talking would be nice…great, actually."

The corner of Volkner's mouth quirked up, walking up next to her as their steps fell in sync, unknown of where their destination was, enjoying the peaceful, cozy feeling of the city.

"I mostly just wanted to say I'm sorry about that kiss two months ago—"

"Don't be sorry." Maylene interrupted him. She didn't go on with an explanation, so he continued. "It's just…I really like you. Being with you feels real, and it feels…right." Volkner glanced at her briefly, chuckling. "I guess I'm trying to ask you out."

Maylene's heart nearly stopped. She kept her gaze on the sidewalk, taking a deep breath.

_I'm with Steven still_, she wanted to say.

_Am I even still with Steven?_, she wanted to say.

_I really like you too_, she wanted to say.

_Jesus Christ, you're a phenomenal kisser_, she wanted to conclude with.

"I'd like that."

Her heart spoke for her before her brain had a chance to take the reins.

The corners of Volkner's mouth twitched slightly, "I, um, I understand you and Steven are still together—"

"We're not."

She bit the inside of her cheek. _We're not, I swear. I want you. I want you and only you, okay?_

Her lips pursed, stopping in her tracks. "I really have to go. Whitney's gonna be home soon, I need to make sure I'm there to let her in, you know, normal parenting stuff—"

Her rambling was cut short by a pair of electrifying lips pressed up against hers. His hands gently gripped her hips, leaning into her, as if he could blend them into one person. Maylene arched against his body, her hands resting on his collar bone. She wouldn't mind if this moment didn't end.

Maylene broke the kiss, resting her forehead against his, both giving goofy smiles. Nothing was really needed to be said; that pretty much said everything.

"I'll call you later?" Volkner murmured, his lips brushing against hers. She nodded, gently shoving him off of her, turning around and walking away, biting her lip to hide a grin.

She whipped out her phone and flipped it open, promptly shutting it.

No.

If she was gonna break up with Steven, she had to do it in person.

XXXX

Maylene slammed the gym door behind her, leaning against the glass. She took a few breaths, promptly letting out a sharp scream.

A week had gone by. She was so confused it was giving her a migraine. Should she stay with Steven and give their relationship another chance, or should she start anew with Volkner? This was so much harder, since she couldn't dial up Gardenia for advice; She knew she wouldn't get anything positive from it.

She wanted Volkner more than anything, she couldn't stand it anymore.

But she didn't just want to break up with Steven over the phone. He was her first boyfriend, and he deserved a courteous break up.

Maylene took a deep breath.

She was gonna fly to Hoenn.

She ran up to her room for a jacket and scribbled a note for Whitney that she would be back in the morning, and to hang out at Gardenia's or Candice's gym.

She ran outside in the dim afternoon of Veilstone, throwing up a PokéBall and releasing her trusted Flygon.

"You up for a long flight, pal?" Maylene asked, receiving a very positive reaction from Flygon. She hopped on her trusted Pokémon's back, and the long journey began.

XXXX

It took Flygon three hours to land in front of Steven's house in Mossdeep City.

Maylene had only visited his house once—it was an insanely long time ago, though, when they weren't even dating. It was some kind of tour thing she went on with her parents when she was thirteen. Steven's father owned the house at the time, so a fateful encounter never happened that day.

She shook the nostalgia from her head, all while chuckling slightly to herself. Steven had always made a big deal about modesty, and how he wouldn't let the title of 'champion' inflate his ego to irritating levels. With a house like this, modesty was completely out of the question.

The house was very modern—completely opposite to the historic and homey feel of the town—with tall windows and sharp edges. The front door was painted silver, which Maylene found incredibly tacky. She sucked up Flygon in his PokéBall; he didn't really protest, since he wasn't a big fan of Steven anyway. He was still grumpy about not being able to fully enjoy the new scenery.

Maylene took a deep breath as she approached the door, holding up her fist, readying a knock. She dropped her hand for a moment. _I can't do this_, she thought briefly. She crossed her arms and looked up at the twilight sky. _I already flew for three hours to get here_, _I have to._

She knocked on the door before she talked herself out of it, her heart racing. God, she was really about to break up with her first boyfriend after four months. Four months! That's so embarrassing. That's barely a relationship! They could've gone longer if it wasn't for some stupid, dumb, sexy, charming—

The door swung open, a lanky silver haired boy in sweatpants, a t-shirt and day-old stubble staring at her with wide eyes.

"May?"

"…Hi."

He smiled warmly at her, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her gently before wrapping her into a tight hug. She hugged him back just as tightly, but…

…this felt wrong.

"How did you get here? Come in, come in!" He moved out of her way, motioning her inside his house. The interior was just as Maylene expected; very sleek, sharp and silver. It didn't feel homey to her at all; maybe because she was used to the red and green in her gym. She felt like she was on some kind of robotic planet with all this silver. She sat down on his leather loveseat that was adjacent to the matching couch, Steven standing in front of her.

"What brings you here?" Steven asked her, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Maylene met his eyes, taking another deep breath.

"I wanted to talk to you about something.

Steven raised a brow. "You didn't wanna call me?

"This…I didn't really want to talk about it on the phone."

He nodded slowly, but after a minute, his face fell. Maylene saw the dramatic change in his expression. "What?"

"I…I think I know what you wanna talk about."

Maylene sighed, "I'm sorry."

"No, I should be the one apologizing." He sat down on his couch. "Everything just happened so fast. We were both a little tipsy, and one thing led to another…"

Maylene's face completely changed. Now she was very confused. "…What 'thing' are you talking about?"

Steven immediately paled. "Is this…oh, shit."

"Steven, what happened?" She sat on the recliner adjacent to the couch. His head face was buried in his hands, running them through his hair.

"…I slept with Flannery."

Maylene's eyes widened, her mouth falling open. Her racing heart immediately calmed down. _Oh my God. Oh my GOD._

"I thought you had heard it from Phoebe or something." He sighed, "I'm so sorry."

Maylene closed her mouth, exhaling through her nose. She swiped a hand over her face, smiling slightly. This was shitty, but it also made her life 400 times easier.

"…Why are you smiling? I'm an asshole who hurt you…" Steven said, letting his voice trail off. She breathed out a small chuckle, meeting his eyes.

"I came here to break up with you."

His face fell again. "Oh."

"Yeah. This kind of made it a lot easier for me to do."

She stood up from her chair, leaning down and spotting Steven's cheek with a small kiss. Without another word, she walked to the door, a confused Steven standing up and watching her leave.

She stopped at the doorway. "By the way," she called over her shoulder, "Your paint job is super tacky."

And with that, Maylene slammed the door, promptly freeing Flygon from his PokéBall. He flew in a few circles before landing in front of her, looking at his trainer with his wide eyes filled with concern. She smiled, running a hand under his chin. "I'm all good. Let's get out of here."

Maylene hopped on his back, and he sprang in the air for the long flight back to Sinnoh. She smiled a little wider, a few stray tears falling down her face, the whipping wind blowing them off. She ignored her phone buzzing on her hip—it was most likely Steven.

She laughed to herself. It's the first time she had ignored one of his calls.


	7. Chapter 7: Little Secrets

"He what?!"

Maylene was currently sprawled out on Gardenia's bedroom floor, Candice perched on the bed, and Gardenia in a moss green moon chair. Maylene had returned from her impromptu trip to Hoenn around four in the morning that Tuesday. Whitney tried her best to pry for details on where she had been the whole day, but a physically and emotionally exhausted gym leader deflected her questions, and fell right to sleep.

She was awoken at eight in the morning, by two frankly pissed off girls carrying her out of her room. Whitney had informed Candice and Gardenia about Maylene's absence for the day before she had left for school, and they, being her best friends, knew they had to get involved.

So, with the condition of Gardenia having food for her at her gym, she told them the story—and she made sure to tell them how okay she was with how everything ended.

"Yup. With Flannery."

Candice shook her head. "What a moron. Being drunk is no excuse to cheat on someone you love."

Maylene bit her tongue; Candice was guilty of doing that. Talk about a 'pot calling the kettle black' scenario. Instead, she just shrugged. "I mean, we were getting super distant as of late. Yeah, I'm still a little pissed, but overall, I'm not bothered." She folded her arms behind her head, "We jumped right into our honeymoon phase anyway. It makes sense we didn't last long."

"Oh, shut up with the excuses." Candice said, "You don't have to justify someone cheating. He's a sleaze, May!"

Maylene bit back a smile. She was enjoying this too much.

Gardenia scoffed, leaning back in her chair. "Unbelievable. Flint's gonna flip when he hears this."

Maylene sat up, "Okay, can we talk about you and Flint right now? What's going on here?"

Gardenia smiled, looking up at the ceiling. "Nah, it's okay."

Maylene's mouth fell open. "You dragged me here to talk about my baggage!" She grabbed a nearby pillow on the floor and chucked it at her face. "Spill!"

The girls laughed in agreement, Gardenia settling them down. "Alright, alright! Basically, after me and Roark broke up, Flint and I started out super casual. Neither of us wanted anything involving commitment, since we just got out of serious relationships—well, I did, I don't think I can count Flint and Flannery as 'serious', but, I digress. It was mostly just us hanging out and doing…_things_, no strings attached, but as of late, I think we're both okay with…involving a little commitment."

"What happened with you and Roark anyway?" Candice asked.

Gardenia sighed, "We had been dating for seven months, and he still didn't really know how to be a boyfriend. I mean, it's okay to be nervous about things, since I was his first girlfriend, but you're still clueless after seven months? I was so tired of waiting for him to be comfortable with having a girlfriend. I feel like he liked the thought of us together, but, in action, not so much. So, I ended it. We were both pretty frazzled by the break up, but some of us get back on our feet faster than others."

The room hummed in understanding, falling into a comfortable silence.

"Gym leader relationships are weird." Candice piped up, "Which is why I'm super glad to not be with a gym leader anymore."

"Wanna brag a little harder, Candice?"

XXXX

Maylene returned to the gym around ten in the morning and decided to keep the gym closed for the day, despite Cynthia's warnings from the last meeting. She was just too tired, and decided it was best to take a personal day. Before she could lay down for a nap, her phone blared. She groaned, rolling over and looking at the caller ID.

It was Volkner.

She quickly sat up, holding the phone in both of her hands. She took a deep breath, and pressed 'Accept'.

"Hello?"

"Hey. I tried calling you last night, no answer. I thought you might've been with Whitney or something."

Maylene's eyes widened. When her phone rang while she was on Flygon, it was Volkner. Not Steven. Shit. A call she actually wanted.

"Oh, um. Yeah, I hung out with Whitney. I'm sorry." She lied.

"No, it's fine."

There was a beat of silence.

"What's up?" Maylene asked. God, it was like she fifteen again. Nervous about talking to a boy. Shit, she'd only been single for a couple hours, why was this already so hard?

"Ah, nothing really. I didn't really have any challengers so I thought I'd call about hanging out tonight."

Her heart raced. A date with Volkner.

"I'd love to."

There she goes again, speaking with her heart and not her head. It's okay now, though. No more guilt was racking her body. She could freely like Volkner.

Well, not totally freely. Candice was still her friend, and she wasn't totally sure if Candice would be okay with her dating Volkner. But she'd cross that road when she got to it. She just enjoyed the sound of Volkner's voice and the excitement that bubbled in her stomach.

He had a challenger come to the gym, so the call ended with shy goodbyes from both parties. Maylene sighed, laying back down on her bed.

She had a date tonight. And she couldn't even tell anybody.

Gardenia would hit her with a life lesson about friendship and morals and blah, blah, blah, and telling Candice was completely out of the question, Maylene pondered. She considered telling Whitney, but she had such a big mouth, she would basically be telling Candice and Gardenia too.

Maylene groaned, covering her face with a pillow. She was so excited she was going to burst, but she had to keep it to herself.

A text lit up her phone. She looked at the notification on her lock screen.

Phoebe: 10:54am

_Miss you! Call me when you can, let's catch up!_

Maylene smiled. _Of course I can tell Phoebe._ She quickly dialed Phoebe's number, the ghost Elite answering after two rings.

"I wasn't sure if you were awake. I'm glad you called!" Phoebe's happy voice said on the other line, "How've you been? When are you coming back to visit? Catch me up on things!"

Maylene chuckled, "Slow down there, Phoebs!" She sighed. "A lot has happened. Like, a lot, a lot."

XXXX

She was on the phone with Phoebe for almost two hours, spilling her heart out when she hadn't meant to. Phoebe had known about Flannery and Steven hooking up; she wanted Steven to fess up to her himself.

"I found out from Flannery, who hadn't really known you and Steven were dating for some reason." Phoebe explained to her, "She was pissed at Flint, and thought sleeping with people would calm her down. I mean, we all have different coping mechanisms, but, cheating is not a good one in any universe! She called him over to her gym, and after some drinks, they did it. I was beyond disappointed in him, Maylene, but he was also disappointed in himself. I gave him an ultimatum; either tell you himself within a week, or I'd tell you. He cares about you, though, don't forget that."

So now, after a nap, of course, it was around four in the afternoon, and Maylene was thinking about ways to lie to Whitney about her date with Volkner, so she could leave the gym without any nosy questions. Whitney had to stay after school to work on a project, so she had time to be alone with her thoughts.

_Fantina invited me to a contest? No, Whit would want to go…_

…_Flint and I were talking shit, and now we got roped into battling each other? Whitney would tell Gardenia, who would talk to Flint, who would deny that happened…_

_I'm actually not Maylene, I'm Korrina, and need to go back to Kalos? No, no, NO!_

Maylene let her head hit her desk. Her date was in two hours. She _should_ be frantically raiding her closet for an outfit. She didn't really think about the implications that would come with dating Volkner—everything would have to be a secret, except Phoebe and maybe Flint would know about them.

The door to her bedroom opened, Maylene turning to see Whitney, who looked extremely exhausted.

"Rough day?" Maylene asked, turning back to her laptop screen. Whitney sighed loudly. "I hate group projects."

"Are they making you do everything?"

"No, they're trying to help out, but they're all so stupid!"

Whitney ranted on about her science group, while Maylene felt a pang of guilt. She still hadn't told Whitney about her mother's call from yesterday. She was still debating whether or not it was worth it; she hadn't mentioned Johto in months, or her father. She was enjoying Sinnoh life, and Maylene didn't want to damper her mood.

She sighed. "Whit."

Whitney, who was sitting on the trundle bed, looked up at Maylene from her mindless rummaging through her backpack. "What's up?"

Maylene didn't want to damper her mood.

"…Your mom called me yesterday."

But Whitney deserved to know.

Her little cousin's eyes widened. "My mom!? Is she okay!? Why hasn't she called me!"

"She claimed it was 'for your safety'."

"_For my safety!?_ What could possibly happen to me if she called me, even for a minute, to the point where she can have NO contact with me!?" She was off the bed now, pacing around the room, throwing her hands all around.

Maylene ran a hand through her hair. "She wanted you to know that she's safe in Hoenn, and that you're no longer the gym leader of Goldenrod. I should've told you sooner, but my trip to Hoenn yesterday was like, rattling my brain."

Whitney's face fell. "I lost my gym?" She stopped her pacing, letting her hands fall to her sides. "My…my gym?"

She sat on the ground, crossing her legs under her. She looked up at Maylene. "I'm not a gym leader anymore."

Maylene sat down on the ground in front of her, cupping her hands around Whitney's face. Her magenta eyes watered, and she leaned onto Maylene's shoulder before the tears could fall down her face.

XXXX

Whitney was absolutely shattered.

Not only over losing her gym and her beloved gym Pokémon, but also because she was coming to her own conclusion that her mother probably didn't want her to come back.

She had gone downstairs to the game room at the other end of the gym, and kept the door shut for hours. Maylene thought it'd be best to give her the space she needed; this was a lot to cope with.

She knocked on the door about an hour before she was supposed to head out for her date with Volkner, telling her she'd be with Gardenia and Candice. Whitney gave her a quiet reply, her eyes still glued to the television. Maylene felt bad for seemingly abandoning her cousin—but, when Whitney's upset, her normally talkative and bubbly attitude recoils, and all she wants is her space. Maylene being around would just be annoying.

As Maylene walked across the gym to head back to her room at around seven, the door knocked. She assumed it was some trainers hoping to battle, so she brushed it off.

But another three quick knocks came—whoever was outside wasn't going away.

She sighed; she needed to get ready. Who would even be knocking on her door now?

She undid a few locks, swinging the door open.

"The sign out front says I'm closed—"

Her stomach fell to her knees.

"…Steven?"

Steven, looking cleaner and a little more panicked then yesterday, gave her a weary smile. "Hi."

Maylene was silent for a moment, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that _Steven_, her _ex-boyfriend_, is standing at her doorstep. The last time that happened, she was excited. This? Not exciting.

"Why are you here?" She deadpanned. Steven's smile faltered slightly, but he cleared his throat. "I wanted to come and say I'm sorry."

"…You did that yesterday." Maylene was beyond annoyed.

"I did, I know. I just…" He sighed. "I'm an idiot, and I fucked up. I _really_ fucked up. You mean so much to me, Maylene, and I love you too much to just let you go." He reached out and gently took her hand, running his thumb across her knuckles tenderly.

"Do…do you think we could try again?"

Maylene's stomach had now reached her toes, and her rapid heartbeat calmed to a chillingly slow rate.

Was this guy serious? He _cheated_ on her! Does a second 'I'm sorry' suddenly make everything better!? He even acted like it wasn't a big deal when he told her, so what makes this apology different from the first? Was the 'I love you' supposed to melt her heart and leave her a puddle at his feet?

She was more insulted than anything. Yeah, she still loved him, and she was still sad that they had to break up. But—

"Getting back together sounds like the worst idea."

She bit the inside of her cheek. She didn't mean to be that harsh, and Steven's softer expression did make her feel a little sour in her stomach. She let go of his hand.

Maylene sighed, running her now free hand through her hair. "Steven…I love you, too. And yeah, you did fuck up. I'm really, really hurt that you'd do that. But…getting back together isn't something we should do. We were really drifting apart anyway, and you know, maybe that means we don't really work out as a couple. I would like to be friends with you, though, just…not right now. Being in contact right now sounds pretty…chaotic, for both of our emotions." She met his eyes, "I hope that's okay."

Steven looked down at his feet, Maylene sighing again. "I think this would be better for us."

Steven hesitantly looked back up at her. He gave her a half smile. "Yeah. I like that idea."

He gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead, and he was on his way. Maylene walked up her silver stairs with a smile on her face; she actually felt at peace with this.

But, "_this_" took up fifteen minutes of her time, so now she'd have to tear her closet apart.

XXXX

There was a knock at the gym door at eight on the nose. Maylene heard the knock all the way from her bedroom.

She flicked a crumb of dried mascara from her cheek, and flattened a hand on her hair. She rushed down the stairs with a jacket in arm, swinging the door open a little too quickly.

Volkner stood in front of her, hands shoved into the pockets of his blue jacket, smiling at her fondly.

"Hey."

Maylene grinned, "Hi, stranger." She stepped out of the gym, locking the door behind her. "So, you've been pretty secretive about what we're doing tonight."

Volkner breathed out a chuckle, walking towards his car. Maylene swore he was the only person in this whole damn region to actually drive a car, probably because he was actually smart enough to build his own.

"Who doesn't like a nice surprise?" He replied, opening the passenger door for Maylene. She sat down, closing the door herself as Volkner got situated in the driver's seat.

"_You_ don't like surprises."

Volkner shrugged, "Okay, true. But I know you do." He revved the engine, putting the car into drive. "We're going to Canalave to take a boat ride, if that's okay with you."

Maylene bit back another wide smile. Volkner was secretly the sappiest person alive; and he wasn't even good at keeping it a secret.

The drive to Canalave was quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. Maylene had never been the one to fancy silence; whenever silence was happening, it was because she didn't know something that other people did. And that sucks.

Volkner wrapped his fingers around Maylene's hand, which was resting in her lap. She absently squeezed his hand, her gaze still looking out the window.

Comfortable. Very comfortable.

He parked his car next to the dock in Canalave City, a middle aged man in a sailor suit standing in front of a docked ferry. Maylene started to wonder if this would be a spin-off of Cynthia & Riley's first date back in Hoenn, but, she waited to expose him—maybe he had something creative planned. The two exited the car, walking towards the sailor. Volkner loosely intertwined his fingers with Maylene's, keeping her at a comfortable but close distance. She liked that.

"Evenin', Volkner." The sailor said, reaching out and firmly shaking Volkner's hand.

"Nice to see you, Eldritch." Volkner nodded. "Thanks again for this."

"Oh, don't thank me. You helped fix Canalave's three-day power outage, I owe you this." He nodded hello to Maylene, and led the two on his ferry. They were seated comfortably on one of the many chairs the lower deck had to offer, Eldritch telling them they would be on the sea in five minutes.

"I was worried for a second." Maylene spoke up after Eldritch had disappeared. Volkner looked down at her. "Worried about what?"

"I thought you were just going to rehash the date we put together for Cynthia and Riley. I would've left, to be honest."

Volkner chuckled. "Don't you have a little faith in me? All my date ideas are original, except for the ones I clearly take from romantic comedies."

"You're such a square."

"I know, but it gives me character."

"Also, nice touch with the sailor guy bringing up one of your many achievements," Maylene teased. "That's how you impress your dates?"

"Did it impress you?"

Maylene shrugged, looking out at the night sky bleeding onto the water's surface as the ferry trudged along. "A little."

"Then yeah, it _was_ a nice touch."

XXXX

The ferry reached their destination about ten minutes later. Volkner was still being vague about what they were doing—she didn't even know they were getting dropped off somewhere, she just thought they were taking a boat ride.

The ferry jerked to a stop, Sailor Eldritch walking into the lower deck a few minutes later. "We've reached Fullmoon Island. We'll be heading back out in about two hours, so try to swoon her as fast as you can, Volkner."

Volkner immediately blushed, Maylene biting her lip to stop a sly smile.

Volkner escorted her off the ferry, leading her away from the dock into the woodsy area of the island.

"Why are we on Fullmoon Island? Are we gonna try and catch Cresselia!? Dude, I didn't even bring any PokéBalls! Or, any of my Pokémon for that matter. Why didn't you—!"

"Hey, shut up for a second." Volkner pushed aside the thicket of shrubs hindering their path, revealing a secluded clearing, with a picnic blanket and basket in the dead center. The stars were overlooking the picnic, perfectly clear and bright.

Maylene was too stunned to be offended by Volkner telling her to shut up.

He rested his hand on the small of her back, looking down and smiling at her. "Is this a little better then catching Cresselia?"

"Volkner…this is…"

"Let's get to the food, I'm pretty sure some Ratatta have been eyeing it since it's been put out."

"Good point. Race you!"

Maylene bolted through the clearing, Volkner watching her go, his hands in his pockets and a loving smile on his face. She turned around, stopping in her tracks and frowning.

"You're no fun!" She shouted.

"You're so cute, I just had to watch." Volkner shouted back, walking towards her. It was her turn to blush.

XXXX

The date was absolutely surreal. She had never been wined and dined before. The food Volkner had brought along was delicious, the conversation between them flowed perfectly and naturally, and she got to gaze at the stars with the best guy in the region.

Sailor Eldritch found them in the clearing, shouting that it was time for Cinderella to head back home—interestingly enough, he was actually referring to the boat. He named the ferry Cinderella.

When they arrived back in Canalave, Maylene stopped Volkner before they walked back to his car.

"What's up?"

"I just…" Maylene sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I've had a really weird few days, and I really needed this. This was a lot of fun, thank you."

He pinched her chin with his thumb and index finger, tilting her head up and giving her a gentle kiss. She happily reciprocated, resting her hands on his waist.

"You're welcome." He smiled against her lips. "Let's get you home."

Once they were both in the car, he sped off to Veilstone, unaware that Gardenia and Flint were walking through town, and saw the whole encounter.


	8. Chapter 8: Runner

Maylene woke up at nine that morning feeling more refreshed then she had ever felt before. She made Whitney breakfast before she left for school, and she actually felt motivated to keep her gym open for the required time.

She ran a hand through her tangled bed head, and rolled over to face her nightstand, reaching for her phone. She pushed the home button, seeing she had three unread texts. She saw Volkner's name sandwiched between two others, and immediately grinned.

Phoebe: 7:37 am

_Tell me how the date went! I've been dying to hear about it. Should be free to talk later tonight._

Volkner: 8:25 am

_Thank you for an incredible night. :)_

Gardenia: 8:56 am

_I cannot believe you._

The last text made her stomach collapse. Gardenia had never been angry to the point of sending vague text messages; that was usually Candice's thing. She quickly typed a response.

You: 9:05 am

_What?_

Her heart was pounding. She was positive she already knew what Gardenia had meant, but she didn't want to believe it.

Gardenia shot her a text just a quickly.

Gardenia: 9:05 am

_I saw you with Volkner. I'm coming over now._

There it is.

Maylene dropped her phone back on her nightstand, burying her face into her pillow. _So close. I was so close. Unregulated happiness, my little secret._

She could hear Gardenia pounding on the door. Her bedroom door was closed, that's how hard she was beating.

Maylene picked herself up out of bed, descending down the stairs to Hell—um, the door. She took a deep breath, clicking the two locks. Gardenia swung open the door as soon as the second lock clicked.

"What the HELL Maylene!"

Gardenia pushed her way into the gym. She hadn't even changed out of her pajamas. Maylene wasn't surprised that she had just ran over here; when Gardenia's not okay with something, she fixes it, no matter what. A shower was probably considered a distraction at this point.

Maylene ran a hand over her face. "What do you want me to say, G?"

"Um, I don't know, probably something along the lines of, 'I probably shouldn't have gone on a date with my best friend's ex who I'm pretty sure is still lowkey in love with'?!"

"It was just one date."

Gardenia chuckled darkly. "Don't even hit me with that lie. I saw it, I saw _both_ of you. That clearly was not a one-time thing, that was the _start_ of a _long-term thing_." She sighed. "God, Maylene, you know how Candice feels about him."

"She always brags about how much happier she is with Lucas! What's the big deal!? If she's happy, why can't I be?!"

Gardenia was quiet. Maylene exhaled from her nose. "Ever since Hoenn, all we've had to do was tip-toe around her feelings. We had to choose our words wisely, or we'd ruffle her feathers. I can't even talk about Hoenn without her cringing and you giving me a look. You're right, it is a long term thing. Volkner makes me happy, G. I wanna be happy just like Candice, and I don't understand why you're so hell-bent on protecting her happiness at the hands of mine."

Gardenia bit her lip, her eyes darting to the floor. She was picking her words, Maylene knew it.

"Hoenn was rough." She spoke up, "And Candice didn't have a lot of time to heal from it. It was Hoenn, and then her birthday party. She was in shambles for the longest time, May, and you were right there at the sidelines. I just want you to think about what you're doing—"

"I _know_ what I'm doing." Maylene interjected coldly. Gardenia's stern face faltered, straightening her back. After a moment of silence, Maylene spoke again.

"I'm sorry if you don't like this. If you want me to tell Candice, I can, but I'm not asking for a blessing."

"No, May. _I'm_ sorry. You're…you're right." She took a breath. "I'm…I never realized how much I was actually babying Candice, and how often I hung you out to dry. I'm really sorry. It's just…you and Candice stopped talking for a while, and I had a lot of the post-Hoenn drama thrown my way. You do deserve to be happy."

There was more silence, but this time, it was almost deafening.

"I don't want you to tell Candice."

Maylene raised a brow. "But isn't that why you ran up in here?"

"Well, originally, yeah. But…I got some perspective." Gardenia paused. "I saw how you looked at each other. Candice doesn't have to know. I'll keep your secret."

Maylene frowned after a moment, "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

Gardenia smiled weakly. "I'm sorry for barging in. Do…do you wanna get breakfast?"

Maylene breathed out a laugh. Only the truest of friends could fight, and have it resolved moments later. "Yeah, let me go put actual clothes on."

XXXX

Gardenia and Maylene ate a local diner in Veilstone, located next to the Game Corner.

"Okay, so. What did you guys do on this date?" Gardenia asked, swirling her straw in her iced tea.

Maylene sighed, "We took a ferry to Fullmoon Island, and we had a picnic under the stars."

Gardenia snorted, "That is so cheesy, but it sounds like something he would plan."

"It totally does, right?! That's what I was thinking during the whole time. He's a hopeless romantic." She took a swig of her water. "What did Flint have to say about this?"

"He was actually really relieved. Apparently, he had been venting to Flint about how much he liked you and how he felt he would be a home wrecker if he had asked you out sooner. Flint was just really glad that Volkner can be happy again."

Maylene smiled, biting her lip. She looked back up at Gardenia. "How are you and Flint doing anyway?"

Gardenia grinned, "Well, he called me his girlfriend the other day, so there's that."

Maylene's eyes widened, "Oh my God, I forgot to tell you. _Steven_ showed up at my door yesterday."

"What? Why?"

"He wanted to get back together. I'm honestly sure he thought he was gonna leave my gym with me as his girlfriend again."

"What an ass."

"Did you tell Flint about Flannery and Steven?"

"I did. He was pissed because you got hurt too. I had to talk him down from flying to her gym and spray painting all over it."

Maylene smiled. "I kind of want him to do that."

"Did I tell you that Roark texted me?" Gardenia said after a beat of silence, and after their server brought their food out. Maylene raised a brow, "About what?"

"He invited me to hang out."

Maylene snorted. "Hang out? He probably wants to get back together."

"He wanted to take me to the museum for a new exhibit, which is something we always did when we dated. I think he just really misses me."

"Do you miss him?"

Gardenia pondered for a minute, chewing on her pancakes slowly. "I do. Not enough to hang out with him, though." She smirked, "I do miss his dad's cooking. Best veggie burgers of my life."

"Nothing's stopping you from going to Byron's gym and demanding a burger."

"A _lot_ is stopping me, Maylene. His son cried over me. I set foot in that gym, I lose said foot."

XXXX

Maylene was back at her gym from her impromptu breakfast about an hour later. She was ready to go back to bed before opening up the gym for the day. Battling a tired Maylene is never a fun time.

She was walking up the stairs to her room, feet heavy and hand barely gripping the rail. She could barely keep her eyes open.

They were open enough to see the door was closed, though. She furrowed her brow; she didn't close the door when she left. It was actually wide open.

Her steps up the stairs slowed; not due to fatigue, but concern. Seriously, what's going on with this door?

She got to the top of the steps, tilting her ear closer to the door. She heard moaning. Was someone having—?

"WHITNEY."

Maylene quickly turned the knob. Locked. _Are you kidding me!?_

She pounded her fist against the door. "OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR WHITNEY."

The moaning immediately stopped. She couldn't hear anything on the other side.

"I WILL KICK THIS DOOR DOWN, I DON'T CARE. YOU GOT FIVE SECONDS."

The door didn't budge.

"FIVE…" Maylene exchanged the weight on her legs, preparing for a fierce kick. Pissed kicks were her specialty.

"FOUR…"

Silence.

"THREE…"

The door swung open, Whitney standing before her, panting and holding a blanket around her body. Maylene pushed her way into her room, seeing Aaron on her trundle bed.

"Jesus Christ, again?!" Maylene growled. "Get out!"

Aaron sat up. "You know, Maylene, Whitney is old enough to—"

"Don't try and justify this, you pedophile! She's a minor! You're like, twenty! This is RAPE! Get the fuck out of my gym! I will NOT ask you again!"

Aaron quickly gathered his clothes, not even trying to sneak a kiss to Whitney, like he did the last time they were caught. He was out of her room in a flash.

Maylene slammed the door behind her. "Why aren't you at school?"

Whitney squirmed into a shirt, ignoring Maylene's question.

"I said," Maylene roared, "Why aren't you at school!?"

"I hate it, okay?" Whitney choked out, slipping into a pair of shorts. "It sucks. Everyone treats me like I'm stupid, it's the worst!" She took a breath. "Aaron gets it. He gets _me_. I'm mature, and he knows that. I don't know why you don't…" She mumbled the last bit.

Maylene sighed. "Whitney. He is twenty years old. You are fifteen. All he wants from you is your body, because what do you have in common with a twenty year old?"

"A lot!" Whitney shouted, "We talk about everything. He listens to me. He treats me right. What is the problem!?"

"The problem is he doesn't care about that!" Maylene yelled back. "He picked you up from school right?"

"Yeah."

"And he said anything along the lines of, 'let's go somewhere private', right?"

"Yeah."

"He doesn't want to talk to you. He isn't listening. He wants your body."

"He wants more than my body! We're gonna spend our lives together!"

Maylene's eyes widened. "Your _lives_!? You're talking commitment with this guy?!"

"What is so hard about supporting me for once!?"

"I support you!" Maylene cried. She was officially insulted now. "I support you. I support you all the time. Why would I support this? YOU'RE FIFTEEN AND THINKING ABOUT MARRYING THIS GUY!"

They were both quiet and fuming. Whitney opened her mouth to speak, then promptly shut it. She swung open the bedroom door, slamming it behind her. Maylene was quick to catch the door before it shut, watching Whitney run down the stairs.

"Where are you going!?"

Whitney ignored her, leaving her gym without another word. Maylene exhaled angrily through her noise, running a hand over her face. Great.

XXXX

Maylene was panicked for the rest of the day. After Whitney had stormed out, different scenarios started forming in her head, and they were driving her insane. Was Whitney alive? What if she's with Aaron? What if she's _eloping _with Aaron?

Maylene called her phone frantically, and she was ignored every time. She was a wreck.

She opened her gym, though, because she received a pretty ticked off call from Cynthia about her gym being closed since yesterday. So she battled a few challengers, but she was extremely disconnected. The trainers could tell, too. One of them even offered to leave during the middle of the battle, since she seemed so distant.

Around nine, she locked the doors of her gym, immediately pulling out her phone and dialing Volkner.

"Hey there." His voice emerged after a few rings.

Maylene sighed, "Hi."

"You okay?"

She wrapped her arm around her middle, sliding against the door and sitting on the ground. Her lip quivered as she rested her forehead on her hand, tears falling down her face.

"Whitney ran off today," She choked out. "And I don't know if she's gonna come back."

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry Maylene. Do you want me to come over? I'm coming over. I'll be there soon." He hung up the phone, Maylene dropping the phone on the ground and sobbing into her hands.

Volkner was knocking on her door five minutes later. She reached up and undid the two locks, Volkner pushing the door open. He looked around first before seeing her on the ground, kneeling down in front of her. He cupped her face, running his thumb across a stray tear.

"May…"

Maylene's face scrunched together, her body wracking with another sob as Volkner pulled her against him. She clenched his jacket with shaky fingers as he ran a hand through her hair, shushing her gently.

She managed to pull herself together, taking deep breaths. She leaned back against the door, Volkner taking her hand in his, running his thumb across her knuckles. "I found her sleeping with Aaron. He's twenty years old, she's fifteen, I tried to tell her that's bad news. Then she told me they want to get married in the future, and when I told her I didn't support that, she bolted. I haven't heard from her all day."

"Did you go after her?"

"I thought she would only be gone for about an hour or so to cool off, and she'd come back and we'd talk about this." Maylene shook her head. "I was wrong. I should've gone after her." She swiped her hand over her face. "I shouldn't have let her leave. I'm so stupid."

"You're not stupid." Volkner interjected quickly. "You are not stupid."

Maylene let out a breath, squeezing Volkner's hand. "I'm 90% sure she's with Aaron. She has to be. Where else would she be?"

"Do you wanna drive to his apartment? He lives in Floaroma Town."

She nodded almost immediately. "Yeah. She's coming back. Even if I have to drag her home. I'm not gonna let her make this mistake."

XXXX

They made it to Floaroma Town in five minutes flat. Maylene barely let Volkner pull into the parking lot; she jumped out of the car immediately. The apartment complex looked like a resort, very little things differentiating one building from the other. She would search the whole night if she needed to.

"Which one is his?" She called to Volkner as he got out the car.

"He's in 145."

It didn't take them long to find his door; the whole place was a maze, but she could read numbers.

She pounded on the door, her hand bruising in the process.

"Aaron!" She yelled. "Open the door!"

No response. Maylene was getting sick of the déjà vu.

She beat the door again. "AARON!"

The door to the next apartment over opened, a middle aged woman stepping out.

"He left a while ago."

Maylene whipped her head around to face her. "Excuse me?"

"Aaron. He left a few hours ago with a girl. They were so loud and giggly."

Maylene clenched her fists, her shoulders shaking in anger. Volkner rested his hands on her shoulders, "Did you happen to hear where they were going?"

The woman shook her head. "Couldn't tell you. I think the girl was drunk, too."

Maylene was fuming at this point.

"Have you seen the girl around here in the past?" Volkner asked.

"I think so. There's a pink haired girl who comes 'round here often. Kinda your hair color, short. He's infatuated with that one, he talks to one of the neighbors about her all the time. He still has a ton of other girls in and out of his place, though." The woman's face scrunched together. "Aaron's a weird kid. Whatever you're banging on his door so angrily for, he probably had it coming."

Volkner thanked her for her time, and she slid back into her apartment. He turned Maylene around to face him, squeezing her shoulders.

"Think clearly. I know you're pissed…"

"I'm gonna kill him, Volkner."

"Maylene, deep breaths."

"I don't want him on this planet. He's a pedophile. He's disgusting. I'm going to KILL HIM." She swatted away tears falling down her face. "He has Whitney. He got her drunk. I don't know where else to look for her."

Volkner pulled her into a hug. "We'll find her, I promise you. We'll scour the whole region if we have to. I'll be by your side the whole time…unless you get arrested for when you murder this guy."

Maylene managed a small smile. She stood up straight, looking at Volkner. Her eyebrows furrowed, biting the inside of her lip. She had an idea.

"You know what…" She said, running a hand over her wet face. "I'm gonna let her figure this out."

Volkner raised a brow. "What?"

"She truly thinks she's gonna marry this guy. You heard his neighbor. He sleeps around with other people, he thinks of Whitney as a spectacle. She wants to act like an adult? Fine."

Volkner blinked, "Are you sure?"

Maylene nodded slowly. "I don't know what else to do. I didn't get through to her last time this happened. I'm worried sick, I have no leads. I'll let her get this rebellion out of her system."

Whitney had always been the type to be stubborn about things, but when she was proven wrong, she came back down to Earth and immediately apologized. That's how she was as a kid, and that's how she is now. Maylene knew Whitney would figure it out. She just hoped it was soon, and that she was right about this plan.

She leaned up and gave Volkner a gentle kiss. "If it goes on for too long and she doesn't come back, then we'll scour the region and bring her back. Deal?"

"I…okay. As long as you're okay with that. Are you still mad?"

"Oh, I'm absolutely furious. I want to set his apartment on fire."

XXXX

On the much less frantic car ride back to Veilstone, Maylene continuously checked her phone. Even though she decided it was best to let Whitney see for herself that Aaron was bad news, she still wanted Whitney home. More than anything.

Volkner parked the car in front of her gym, Maylene hesitating to get out. She turned to Volkner.

"Can you spend the night?"

He gave her a soft smile. "Yeah. I can do that."

He shut off the car, following Maylene to the door. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a kiss. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Maylene looked up into his eyes, sighing. "I'm not. But it's for the best." She unlocked the door and the two went inside.

She cried that night, hidden away in the bathroom, while Volkner slept soundly in her bed. She looked at the blank screen on the phone, hoping, begging that Whitney would text her. Even a simple 'I'm alright' would suffice. She ran a hand over her wet and warm face, taking a shaky breath. She just needed Whitney home.

XXXX

The two were spotted again that night, by a figure standing under a streetlight. They erased the message they had been typing on their phone, turning around and walking away, tears falling down their face in shock and sadness.

_Volkner, I miss you so much. It's been a long time since we've talked, and I really want to talk about us, if there's still a chance. Please call me when you get the chance. –Candice_


	9. Chapter 9: Free

Maylene was somehow in Flint's apartment.

She started her day with Volkner, arms wrapped tightly around her in the gray morning and sleepy giggles flooding her room. She didn't want to sleep that night without Whitney in her room, so Volkner was a nice substitute. She wanted to spend the day with him, but, he had to leave early, unfortunately, because he had a line of challengers at his gym.

"Challengers?" She asked him as he got dressed.

"Yeah, I know, that shit never happens."

Maylene was a bit distressed when Volkner left the gym. She knew that if she was by herself, she would cry. She hated this, she hated everything about it. So, to combat her sadness, she made sure she was around people. That's the only way she could keep herself together. She called Gardenia, hands shaking.

"Hey, I was just about to call you."

"Great, do you wanna hang out? I have so much to tell you, a lot has happened."

"I'm out right now, I can swing by and pick you up if you want?"

"Yeah!"

She didn't know Gardenia was with Flint.

So, after a slightly awkward car ride with Gardenia fawning over Flint's slightly dented hair (Maylene tried not to make herself think it was from sex. She didn't want to think about that.), she was in Flint's apartment.

He lived on the opposite end of Sunyshore, so Maylene couldn't sneak off and see Volkner. She decided to make the best of it, and enveloped herself in a red throw blanket strewn on his leather couch, and spilled her heart out to the both of them.

"So, wait, they've done this before?" Flint asked. Maylene nodded, "Yup. The morning after Candice's birthday party."

Flint breathed out a small laugh. "I always knew Aaron was kind of psycho. My building had to shut the water off for the day to work on some plumbing about a year ago, so I stayed at his apartment. Everything in it was fine, except for a bunch of really weird things in his bedroom. It was like, toys and comic books and figurines. A lot of adults like things like that, but it was a lot. Like, an unsettling amount. I recognized one of the comics, though, and started asking him about them. He had no idea what I was talking about. I even told him the comics were in his room, and he just played it off, saying how 'one of the girls' might have left them there. Like, this dude preys on young girls, and it's clear he's not ashamed of it."

Maylene shook her head, burying her face in the blanket. "That's so fucking creepy. I hate him."

"We have the league meeting today," Gardenia said, "Do you think he'll show?"

"HE'LL HAVE SOME NERVE IF HE SHOWS HIS FACE AROUND ME!"

"He won't." Flint gave a short shake of his head. "He'll never face you after this. He knows you'll kill him."

Maylene glanced at her phone. Still nothing from Whitney. She was still hopeful that she would get something, but the chances were looking slim.

"If Aaron is at this meeting, I'm gonna corner him." She said. "He's not leaving until he tells me where she is."

"Don't worry," Flint stood up. "We won't let him leave that room. Let's get going, though."

XXXX

Maylene was tense the whole way to Pastoria City for the meeting. She wanted to see Aaron, but she was a tad nervous about seeing Candice. They hadn't talked since she'd broken up with Steven, and every interaction with Candice is usually a little awkward for her.

She walked in front of Gardenia and Flint into the basement of the Pokémon Center, trying to keep her head high, even though her heart was racing. She was feeling so many emotions for so many different people in that room.

She opened the door, her pounding heart falling into the pit of her stomach.

Aaron wasn't there.

And it's not like they came early. They left Flint's apartment late. He's not here.

Maylene slumped into her seat at the end of the table next to Fantina, chiming off a weak hello. She looked across the table, giving a small wave to Candice. Candice looked at her, and immediately turned away, almost with disgust.

She raised a brow. _The fuck? Where did this hostility come from?_

"Afternoon, everybody." Cynthia waltzed into the room, taking her place at the head of the table. "Let's get started. Aaron won't be joining us, he's handling a personal issue, and Bertha is away in Hoenn. Lucky them, right? We'll be here for a while."

Maylene clenched her jaw, folding her arms across her chest. The closer she got to finding Whitney, a wall seemed to always come down. She turned to Volkner, who was looking down at his phone. She sighed, sinking in her chair. She hated everything about this room right now. And it felt like it hated her back.

"I can't believe we have to talk opening and closing times again…"

XXXX

A week passed. Whitney still hasn't come home. The school was calling her gym nonstop. She didn't know what to tell them.

Maylene had contacted Officer Jenny. This was officially a kidnapping case. She was reassured that they would search high and low, and put a word out at every ferry dock and sky patrol in the region to be on the lookout. Jenny also told her to keep calling, and to stay calm. Maylene wasn't sure if she could stay calm; she was basically numb.

XXXX

Another week passed. Whitney wasn't back. Maylene slept alone in her gym for a full week on Sunday. She was alone with her thoughts and her anxiety, and she called Whitney at least three times a night. She was lost and alone, and being alone was the last thing she wanted.

XXXX

Phoebe visited on Friday. Maylene was ecstatic. She could tell Volkner and Gardenia were getting a little sick of seeing her so often, so a few days with a fresh face is exactly what everybody needed.

But, of course, she had to tell Phoebe what was going on.

"Why has so much been happening to you?" Phoebe asked, who was currently perched on her bed, while Maylene was watching popcorn cook in the microwave on her desk. She turned to look at her. "You know, you're the first person to ask me that. I have no idea." The microwave beeped, Maylene popping it open and pulling out the popcorn. "My life was so average. Then Hoenn happened, and suddenly, everything won't stop happening."

"You broke up with a champion, were asked to get back together with said champion, started dating hot mysterious gym leader, your cousin ran away with creepy elite four member." Phoebe shook her head. "The many mishaps of Maylene."

Phoebe ripped open the popcorn bag. "But, we're gonna forget about that for a few hours, and we're just gonna watch Netflix. Have you ever seen any Real Housewives series?"

"No."

"Good! You're about to!"

XXXX

Maylene was relieved to look at someone else's problems other than her own. They binged watched a few seasons of The Real Housewives of Atlanta and Beverly Hills until about five in the morning, and passed out next to each other. She woke up the next morning barely on her bed; Phoebe was so sprawled out, she was about to push Maylene off. She didn't mind, though. She missed her.

So now they were at the department store with Gardenia. Yeah, Gardenia was sick of seeing Maylene, but Phoebe was there, so that balanced it out.

"So, Phoebs," Gardenia said. They were sitting in the food court, munching happily on pizza and frozen yogurt. "How's Hoenn?"

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Annoying as ever. So much drama has happened in the league, just like in yours. It's ridiculous."

"How so?"

She sighed. "We all know about the whole Steven-Flannery thing. Now she's, like, in love with him. She won't leave him alone. But she's also fooling with Liza, which Tate is _really_ not a fan of, because he knows that she's just stringing his sister along until she gets a hold of Steven, _and_ Liza isn't fully out, so he's afraid that Flannery might out her. Liza's super into her too; poor girl. And Brawly's acting all defensive and hostile towards Steven, talking about 'not forgiving him for hurting Maylene', even though he basically did the exact same thing. And Steven is basically clueless. He just shows up for meetings, tells us what we need to know, and bolts before anybody comes for him, specifically Flannery. He knew that was a one-time thing, and he's still sour about your guys' break up. I swear, league drama never ends. There's only rare moments of peace."

Maylene's eyebrows shot up. "Brawly?! Why does he care?!"

Phoebe shrugged, "I don't know, he's gone a little bonkers. He claimed he saw Dialga and Palkia, _together_, and they cleared his conscience for him, so now he's like, born again or something? I really have no clue. He just acts like he still talks to you and knows your feelings. If he tries to talk to you, though, ignore him. He might try and pursue you with his whole 'I've changed' shpeel." She took a bite of her pizza, shaking her head.

Gardenia leaned back in her chair. "That's…wow. That's really all I can say."

Maylene chuckled, "It's nice to know we aren't the only ones experiencing crazy shit."

Phoebe's eyes widened, "Oh, we definitely aren't the only ones. It happens in every league! I heard from Viola in Kalos that Malva tried to ruin Drasna's marriage. It's definitely not just here."

"Woah!"

"I know!"

Maylene ran a hand through her hair. She was kind of relieved to hear that there's stuff going down everywhere, and not just in Sinnoh. She couldn't help but feel like the only one.

"Okay," Phoebe said, scrunching up her napkin into a ball. "Show me some Sinnoh exclusive fashion. I need it."

XXXX

Maylene decided to head back to her gym and let Phoebe and Gardenia have some time together. She was not okay with being by herself these past three weeks, but it was about time she faced her thoughts and her panic.

In front of her gym sat a girl with her hood up. Maylene raised a brow; there was a sign on the door that said the gym was closed, what was she doing?

"Excuse me," Maylene said as she got closer. "I'm closed for today."

The girl looked up at her with tears running down her face, Maylene's heart stopping.

"Whitney? Whitney!" She rushed over next to her, wrapping her arms around her. She started to cry, squeezing her cousin against her.

"I'm so sorry." Whitney choked out, clenching her fingers around the fabric of Maylene's jacket. Maylene pressed a kiss in her hair, holding her tightly. Whitney continued sputtering apologies, and Maylene didn't let her go. She was home.

She led Whitney inside and into her bedroom, where she made herself comfortable, letting out a long sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry, Maylene. I'm so sorry."

Whitney was curled up on Maylene's bed in a blanket, Maylene sitting opposite of her at the foot of the bed.

"You're mad, you're so mad at me." Whitney breathed out shakily, "I'm so sorry."

Maylene looked down at her lap, interlocking her fingers together. She was silent for a second.

"Was I right?"

Whitney's eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a split second, and then her anger washed over her. "You were right. You were totally right."

"He's a sleaze?"

"He's worse than a sleaze. He's the ultimate scum bag. I hate him, Maylene. I…I should've listened to you." She brought her knees against her chest. "I shouldn't have trusted him over you. I wanted to answer your calls. I needed your help, but he took my phone. He cut me off from everybody. I thought I could fix it, I could fix him." She shook her head. "You can't change people who aren't willing to change."

Maylene took a deep breath. "This was the only way you could learn. You didn't wanna listen to me, Whit, and you know how you are when you hear something you don't like."

Whitney gave her a weak smile, "I know. I'm sorry."

"Where did you guys go?"

"I went right to his apartment after our fight. We stayed there for a while, and we had a couple drinks. I was a little drunk, and he said it would be a good idea if we went to his house in Celestic Town, so we stayed there. He kept talking about how 'no one would find us', which was really off putting, but I was so blinded by this idea of us together that it didn't register with me. It was nice for the first day or two, but then everything got…bad." She took a shaky breath. "I left while he was out at the league for the day. I thought everything would fall in place. I tried calling you after a few days to let you know I was okay, but…Aaron stopped me. He brainwashed me into thinking I was better off with him. God, he treated me like some kind of...display. Like, I was just there to amuse him, and nothing else. I was someone he didn't care about. I hated it."

Maylene scooted across the bed to lay next to her, wrapping her arm around her shoulder, Whitney leaning into her.

"You're safe now. I won't let him come near you."

They were quiet for a long time, but both girls didn't seem to mind. They were just happy to be together again.

"You know," Whitney spoke up. "I missed going to school. I'll take group projects over that hell I just went through any day."

XXXX

Whitney slept for most of the day. Maylene happily let her; she had no idea what Aaron put her through during those few weeks. She didn't want to ask her for details right away, though; she'd just let her relax, and let her mind rest.

Maylene had to contact a ton of people though. The school was first; they weren't all too shocked to hear about Whitney running away—they claimed, 'all kids her age do that', which Maylene wasn't too fond of hearing. Nonetheless, they agreed to let Whitney return on Wednesday, to give her a few extra days to recuperate.

She texted Gardenia, Phoebe and Volkner the good news, as well as a thank-you for sticking by her, all of them incredibly relieved. Gardenia asked to come over and see her, but Maylene told her that wasn't the best idea, and that she needed to relax.

Whitney had been asleep for three hours, so Maylene decided to slip out to get them both some dinner. She decided to venture off into Solaceon Town to get Whitney's favorite food from her favorite diner—which was a double decker grilled cheese sandwich, and seasoned French fries. She deserved a treat.

She admired the evening sky as she trekked down Route 215 to 210, stuffing her hands into her pocket. A familiar figure was walking towards her, Maylene smiling slightly.

"Hey, Candice."

Candice looked at her, facing forward and walking right past her.

"What? Candice!"

Candice kept walking. Oh, hell no.

Maylene turned around, "The hell is with all this hostility?!" She yelled. "You ignored me at the league meeting, and now you're blowing me off? What did I do!?"

Candice whipped around to face her. "You know what you did!"

"If I knew, I wouldn't be shouting to you like a dumbass!"

"You ruined EVERYTHING!"

"What the fuck are you talking about!?"

"YOU TOOK VOLKNER FROM ME!"

Maylene leaned back, face twisted in confusion. "I didn't take anybody!"

Candice walked up to her, face hard and angry. "I saw you two. I saw you outside of your gym. You_ kissed_ him, you took him from me!"

"Candice, Volkner isn't some kind of prize, he's a person! You guys have been broken up for a while!"

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME."

"What is the problem!?"

"I LOVE HIM. THAT'S THE PROBLEM!"

Maylene let out a short, loud laugh. "You really don't know when to back off, do you?"

"Don't hit me with this Hoenn shit, Maylene! You know that stuff is dead and gone!"

"BUT IT ISN'T!" Maylene yelled, taking a step back. "It can't die, because you let it live! Every time we talk about Hoenn, you act like a GIANT TODDLER and try to change the subject because you don't want to face your mistakes! You already have Lucas, why can't you let me be happy!?"

"BECAUSE I HATE LUCAS!" Candice shouted. She was crying now, taking deep breaths. "He's boring, we have absolutely nothing in common. But he gives me affection because no one else will. He's around. He's convenient, that's all. I don't love him. I love Volkner." She swiped a hand over her face. "I always will."

"THEN WHY DID YOU HURT HIM! If you loved him, if you REALLY loved him, you would let him go. You would realize…" She took a breath. "…That he's moved on. And you need to accept that, if you really did love him."

Candice smiled darkly, "You don't want me to be happy, do you?"

Maylene snapped.

"YOU!? I DON'T WANT _YOU_ TO BE HAPPY? LET'S LOOK AT ALL THE FUCKING TIMES YOU STOPPED _ME_ FROM BEING HAPPY!" Maylene threw her arms up in the air. "THERE WAS THE TIME WHEN WE WERE FOURTEEN AND YOU TRIED TO STEAL MY POKÉMON BECAUSE I BEAT YOU IN A BATTLE. THERE WAS THAT TIME WHEN WE WERE SIXTEEN AND YOU COULDN'T HANDLE ME BEING GOOD FRIENDS WITH DAHLIA SO YOU TRIED TO STOP HER FROM HANGING OUT WITH ME." She stepped a little closer. "Then there's Hoenn. When you _knew_ I was into Brawly, and still stepped all over that. Which brings us here. I was cheated on by Steven. Volkner cares about me, and is there for me. And he makes me happy. I don't know what you think you're going to do about me dating Volkner, but I won't let it happen."

Candice was silent, eyes darting to the ground.

Maylene frowned, shifting her weight on her feet. "We can't be friends if you can't accept that sometimes, you can't have everything that you want. Why would I leave myself with nothing for the sake of your happiness, when you're too selfish to do that for anyone else?"

She remained silent, folding her arms across her chest. Maylene breathed out a small chuckle, shaking her head. She turned on her heels and continued on towards Solaceon, her heart racing. She didn't think it would have to come to that. But she was sick of it, and it was about time she put her foot down.

XXXX

Maylene shut the door to the gym as softly as she could, making her way up the stairs with two bags of food. She was still fuming from her fight with Candice.

'_Because you love him'…No, you love the idea of him. She doesn't love him. She's selfish._

She opened the door to her room slowly, in case Whitney was still asleep. She was laying down, eyes scanning the room.

"Hey, sleeping beauty." Maylene said softly. Whitney turned to the door, smiling. "I was wondering where you went." She sniffed the air, sitting up. "Did you go to Joshy's without me!?"

Maylene held up the food, Whitney grinning. "Thank God, I was gonna have to throw the biggest tantrum of my life." She reached out for her bag, happily digging into and immediately going to work on her fries. Maylene decided to slip out of the room and dial up Volkner; she was still pissed about her run in with Candice, and now, Volkner officially has a 'crazy ex'.

"Hey, May. Everything okay down there?"

"Yeah, everything's good. I got Whitney some dinner, she slept most of the day."

"Great! I'm glad she's back home."

Maylene paused. "I ran into Candice when I went to get food."

"Oh?"

She sighed, "She's trying to get back together with you."

"…I know."

She raised a brow. "How?"

He sighed on the other line, "She sent me a text right before the league meeting. It was basically a novel, talking about how she loves me and how much we 'work'. I was really surprised. You've told me how much she talks about this new guy, why is she still thinking about me?"

"Cuz you're literally a drop of sunshine that positively affects everyone around you."

Volkner chuckled. "Oh, stop."

"I mean, it's true, but whatever. I don't want her coming near you."

"She won't. She stopped me after the meeting with a lot of optimism, but I told her it'd be better if we didn't, and that I'm happier with someone else."

Her phone beeped, signaling an incoming call. "I'll call you back, Volkner, someone's ringing in."

"Okay, I'll see you later."

Maylene took the phone off her ear, seeing Phoebe's name pop up.

"What's up?"

"Uh, are you at your gym?"

"…Yeah, why?"

"Um…Candice just came to Gardenia's gym crying about how you ruined her life?"

Maylene clenched her fist. She really had to drag Gardenia and Phoebe into this?

"Yeah, we're coming over." Phoebe continued.

"Please do. I've gotta tell you the whole story."

She ended the call, stuffing her phone into her jean pocket. Couldn't she just get one day to herself where nothing went wrong?

She slipped back into her bedroom, Whitney munching on her grilled cheese and watching television. She turned to look at Maylene. "What happened?"

"Hm?" She sat down next to her. "I just needed to make a call."

"I heard it. Tell me what's going on."

Maylene sighed, laying down on her bed. "It's so much."

"I have time, Maylene. Spill."

"Okay, well, we gotta start from the beginning. Remember like, three weeks ago when I didn't come home until, like, four in the morning?"

"Yeah…"

"I was in Hoenn breaking up with Steven."

"WHAT?!"

XXXX

After about an hour of Whitney's overdramatic reactions to the recent happenings ("So wait, you've been dating Volkner for like, a month, and never told me!?" "Yup." "I _live_ here, how did I not see this?!"), Phoebe and Gardenia joined them in Maylene's room with even more happenings.

"Okay, what's going on?"

"So," Gardenia said, who was sprawled out on her rug. "Candice came to the gym in tears. I asked her what was wrong, even though a piece of me didn't really want to know, since she tends to make things over dramatic. She said she saw you on Route 210, and she tried to say hello and initiate small talk, but then you blew up at her when you found out she wanted to get back with Volkner. Apparently."

Maylene couldn't help but laugh. She couldn't believe this. "First off, no. I tried saying hi to her and she blew me off, so I asked why did she have all this hostility, and that's when she said I 'took' Volkner from her. And she went on about how much she hates Lucas, and how she'll never stop loving Volkner."

Phoebe snorted, who sat at Maylene's desk. "That's insane. That's literally insane. Like, Candice is my friend, but seriously?"

Gardenia wiped her hand over her face. "Jesus Christ, Candice. She's really good at lying. I swear, since we got back from Hoenn, she's become a pathologically liar. She did a lot of shit-starting in the past, but this is a whole new level."

"But back in Hoenn, she didn't even lie about kissing Brawly." Maylene said, "She just didn't tell anybody. But now she knows that I'm with Volkner, and since she can't be with him, she doesn't want anyone associating with me. I'm surprised she didn't text Volkner that I slept with Flint or something. God, she's unbelievable!"

"Let's not use Flint as an example."

"Where did she go after she left the gym?" Whitney asked.

Phoebe shrugged, "I have no idea. She said something like, 'I'm gonna fix this', and then she bolted."

Maylene shook her head, then immediately sat up. "Jesus Christ, she might be headed to Volkner's."

Whitney rested her hand on her shoulder. "Don't. I know you wanna rush over there and handle it, but let him deal with it. If she's over there, he can take her."

Maylene swallowed, looking at her friends.

"She's right." Gardenia said. "He's got it."

"You can always say something to her tomorrow." Phoebe chimed in. "But tonight, it's on him."

She sighed, sitting back in the bed. She was ready for all this drama to be over already. But with Candice still in the picture, it wouldn't end.

It was decided. She couldn't keep Candice as a friend if she was going to get this ridiculous. This was the last straw.

XXXX

Gardenia and Phoebe left around midnight; Phoebe was heading back to Hoenn in the morning. Maylene barely slept that night. She couldn't stop thinking about Candice—did she go to Sunyshore? Did she try anything? Did she _try_ anything?

So she finally fell asleep at five. But there was banging on the front door at seven.

Whitney jumped up first, shaking Maylene awake.

"May? Maylene, wake up!"

"Hnn…mnh…."

"May!"

"Huh…wh-…what? Whitney? You okay?"

"I'm fine, but someone's banging at the door."

Maylene grunted as she flipped back the blankets, stumbling towards the door and down the stairs. Who the fuck was here so early? It's a _Sunday_.

She undid the two locks on the door, rubbing her eyes and swinging the door open.

"It's seven in the—"

Her chest warmed with anger, brows furrowing. Why was Aaron at her door?

"What the _fuck_ do _you_ want?" She growled.

"Whatever, where's Whitney?"

"You kidnap my baby cousin, and ask the person you kidnapped her _from_ where she is?"

"I didn't kidnap anybody!" He hissed through gritted teeth, "Keep your damn voice down. Now where is she?"

"You wanna kidnap her again? Think I'm gonna let you do that?"

"What did I say!?" He lunged for her, Maylene quickly grabbing his arm, squeezing as hard as she could. He grunted, trying to rip his hand away. "Let go of me, crazy bitch!"

She connected her fist with his face with a mean right hook, Aaron jumping backwards and howling in pain.

"If you think you can come back here and disrespect me after you disrespect and _abuse_ my family, you have a death wish. Get off my property."

She slammed the door in his face, quickly doing up the two locks, and the third lock, which she only used in certain situations. This definitely called for it.

She shook her right hand as she walked up the stairs. It's been a while since she had to punch someone in the face.

Maylene opened the door, shutting it softly behind her. Whitney was already back to sleep. She wouldn't tell her that Aaron came looking for her; that's the last thing she needed. She crawled back into bed, drifting back to sleep. 'The Many Mishaps of Maylene' was right.

XXXX

Maylene awoke again three hours later by a ringing phone rather than racking on the door. She felt around her desk for her phone, instead of lifting her head from the pillow. Too much effort.

She managed to grab it, hit accept (after a few failed blind attempts and peeking at the screen in defeat) and held the phone to her ear.

"Hmmm…"

"Morning, May."

"Volkner…it's been an eventful morning…"

"Awe, stop, your 'just-woke-up' voice is so damn cute."

"You've got five seconds to tell me what you want before I strangle you through the phone."

"Shit, okay, do you wanna get breakfast?"

"Are you cooking it?"

"I am, actually."

"I'll be over in 20."

After a hot shower and a battle with a mascara wand, she was outside of the Sunyshore gym in 15 minutes.

"I'm impressed." Volkner said as he opened the door, greeting her with a kiss. "Oh sweet, _and_ you remembered to brush your teeth."

"Have I forgotten that many times?"

"Well, the times you _have_ are the ones I can't forget."

Maylene ignored his snide comment about her breath and followed the scent of pancakes to a secret door straight ahead, which led to the kitchen. He had gone all out with breakfast; there was a fruit salad, scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, and waffles.

"I didn't know which one you preferred." He said, resting his hand on the small of her back. She smiled, "To be honest, I don't have a preference. I'll eat both." She skipped into the kitchen, sliding into a stool at the island table. She absolutely loved when Volkner cooked; she tried one of his desserts last week, and she swore that was the best damn brownie she'd ever had in her life. So whenever Volkner was cooking, she was there.

She watched him pour pancake batter on a skillet, smiling to herself as she forked some eggs into her mouth. She was pretty lucky—as cliché as that sounded. She knew there was at least one person who was fawning over him, and he likes her. He was also making breakfast for her. That fact was probably more important than anything.

He turned around putting a plate of pancakes on the table. "Bon appétit." He sat down across from her.

"Guess who made an appearance at my gym last night?"

Maylene already knew. "Who?"

"Candice."

She rolled her eyes. "What did she want?"

"She was crying at my front door, begging for forgiveness and telling me how much she loves me." He shook his head, "I had to tell her to leave me alone. I let her down as gently as I could after her texts, but this? This needs to stop."

Maylene stopped her fork of cantaloupe in midair. "Texts? As in, plural? Like there's multiple?"

"Yeah, I wasn't sure if I should tell you about the other ones…She's texted me about this before. Like, three days after her birthday party, two weeks ago, yesterday."

Maylene set down her fork, rubbing her temples. "Jesus…"

"I just don't get it. I know people recover faster than others, but this is excessive."

"She tried to get Gardenia and Phoebe mixed up in all this."

Volkner raised a brow. "How?"

"She went to Eterna and tried to tell Gardenia I blew up at her for no reason, even though she was being super passive aggressive with me and yelled at me for telling her to stop and act like a person." Maylene shook her head. "I just want this mess to end."

Volkner wiped his mouth with a napkin, balling it up in his hands. "You've known her longer than I have, so I might not be super keen on how to handle this, but I think the only way to stop her from meddling in our relationship is for you to talk to her."

Maylene looked at him. "Why me?"

"In the past, when she's obsessing over things, especially when Cynthia picked her out to yell at her about her gym not being up to code, I was the one who talked her into keeping up with her gym. She has blinders on whenever she's like this, so she's only focused on me. But, if you come in and shake her out of it, she should get it. So, since she's obsessing over our nonexistent relationship, you have to talk some sense into her."

"I tried when I saw her yesterday! She didn't want to listen." She sighed. "I guess I could try again. Whatever keeps us together."

Volkner gave her a half smile, reaching across the table and taking her hand. "We're gonna stay together. Sorry to disappoint."

Maylene smiled, returning to her plate of food. "You're lucky I love you, or that would be considered creepy."

She immediately paused, eyes widening. What did she say?

She glanced up to Volkner, who was going in on his pancakes. He didn't notice. Okay. Good.

She _loves_ Volkner? Where did that come from?

XXXX

Maylene left Volkner's gym around noon, immediately pulling out Flygon and high-tailing it to Snowpoint. She was going to end this.

She hopped off of Flygon as he hovered over the snow—his usual routine—and marched up to the front door. Her gym wasn't open yet, which was typical, since she never had her gym open in the first place. She racked her fist against the door, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She was so anxious and angry, her words getting mixed up in her head. She couldn't think. She just needed to speak.

The door swung open, Candice's face going from fairly neutral to irritated.

"What—"

"Stay out of my relationship."

Candice raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't even try that! You were at Volkner's gym last night, and you need to back the fuck off."

Candice snorted, opening her mouth to talk. Maylene kept going.

"I can't believe this. I can't believe you would go out of your way to try and rekindle a dead relationship, even though you know he's dating somebody." She paused. "I can't believe you would choose a guy over our friendship."

Candice folded her arms. "I didn't choose a guy. You did."

"I didn't choose a guy, you did. Twice. Once in a different region. So I have no idea what you're getting pissed at me for. You're the one being ridiculous. And I can't take it anymore."

Candice chuckled, "So? What do you want from me?"

Maylene pursed her lips, looking at Candice. "I want you to leave us alone. Keep my name, and his name out of your mouth. I don't want you in my life, and neither does he." She looked down at her feet. "We used to be best friends. Inseparable. Why are you being this way? What changed?"

"What changed? You somehow forgot how to be a friend."

Maylene exhaled sharply through her nose. She looked back up at Candice, and smiled. " Alright. Then let's just forget that we were ever friends. Since I forgot how to be one, might as well forget that we ever were."

Candice's face softened, then she turned away. "Fine."

Maylene turned on her heels, trudging through the snow with her shoulders back and head high.

As she soared through the skies on Flygon, she couldn't help but feel crushed. She just lost her best friend, and over a guy, nonetheless. But, it was for the best. Too many times had she been let down by Candice, and now, she could look forward. Maybe to something better, maybe worse, she didn't really knew. But she knew she wouldn't have to continue living in the past. She was free.

* * *

><p><strong>thank you so much for reading! (might post a bonus chapter. give me about 2 weeks ;)<strong>


	10. Bonus Chapter: Whitney

**i said two weeks and it took a bit longer. sorry. finals and life got in the way. enjoy!**

**TRIGGER WARNING: statutory rape, emotional abuse/manipulation, underage drinking**

* * *

><p>She couldn't believe it. Her own family didn't support her.<p>

Her mother didn't want her around anymore, her father's in jail. And now, Maylene can't respect that she's in love.

So now she was knocking on Aaron's front door, trying to choke down tears. The door swung open, a boy of average height with a mop of green hair staring back at her. He smiled. "Hey, pumpkin."

"I can't deal with home right now." Whitney barged her way into his apartment, flopping on his couch. He ran a hand through his hair, sitting down next to her. He draped his arm over the back of the couch, Whitney curling up next to him.

"What happened after I left?"

"We had a screaming match, so I just needed to be out of there for a while." She looked up at him. "I'm sorry for barging in."

Aaron kissed her forehead. "It's fine, you're always welcome here." He pushed himself off the couch, walking into his kitchen. "Hey, that new episode of Wonder Girl Vampire came out today. Wanna watch it?"

"Really? I thought there wouldn't be a new one this week."

"I was surprised too. I bought the new volume of the manga if you wanna read it."

"The new volume came out?!"

Aaron walked back over to the couch, handing Whitney a cup. She assumed it was water, and took a big gulp. She swallowed, her throat burning, which put her into a coughing fit.

"Jesus, Aaron, what is this?"

"It's a signature drink of mine." He grinned at her. "It's good, right?"

Whitney hesitated, looking into the cup. It was clear, but she could see carbonated bubbles. "Is this Sprite and…?"

"Vodka. And a little bit of Everclear."

"Vodka?! What's Everclear?!"

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. It'll loosen you up a bit, take your mind off your fight with Maylene."

Whitney looked up at Aaron, and back at the cup. She took another small sip, her face scrunching together. He put in way more alcohol than Sprite. But this was better than being back in Veilstone.

"Are we gonna watch the episode or what?" Whitney asked. Aaron chuckled, sitting back on the couch with a remote in hand. "Of course we are. Just relax and drink."

As the episode played, Whitney stole glances at Aaron, who looked a little bored. He continuously asked her if she was almost done with her drink, and when she was, he was eager to refill it. She just tried to focus on her favorite show, and keep her mind clear. But, it was hard when it was becoming fuzzy.

XXXX

She had four full cups of Aaron's signature drink. It was only four in the afternoon and she was definitely feeling it.

Her tolerance was a lot better than she had originally thought, since she wasn't blacked out. She was very drunk, that's for sure, but not shitfaced.

The episode of Wonder Girl Vampire had long ended, and now Aaron was pressed against her body and had his hand running up and down her thigh and his lips tasted like sin. Her face felt like white noise and her fingers were numb, like Aaron was sucking her soul out with every hungry kiss. She felt like she sinking into the couch as his hand slid down her pants, then, he stopped suddenly.

"Are you…o…kay?" Whitney slurred. Aaron hoisted himself off of her and the couch. "I'm okay. I think we should leave, though."

"Wh…Why?"

"There's too many people in this complex." He muttered, mostly to himself.

Whitney sat up on her elbows. Her vision had really fizzled, and they had been laying there making out for a while. That clearly didn't help. "What are you talking about?"

He kneeled down to her level. "We should start our life together somewhere else. Where no one will find us."

Whitney perked up at the mention of commitment. "Yeah…" She laid back down on the couch. "I like that sound. Good sound…"

Aaron helped her off the couch, leading her out of his apartment. She giggled, "What's it so sunny for? Can't see…Hey! Sun!"

"Whitney, you're drunk."

"N' you're cute."

He loaded her into his car, shutting the passenger door. She fell asleep at that point. She heard Aaron snicker to himself and start the engine, and she, and the car, were out.

XXXX

Whitney woke up a few hours letter in a bed. She didn't remember how she got there. Hell, she barely remembered anything after they finished watching Wonder Girl Vampire. She sat up quickly, squinting at her mild headache. She was in a log cabin, and the room was very cozy, but…whose house was she in?

"Aaron?" She called, her voice hoarse and slightly panicked. "Aaron!"

The door swung open, Aaron at the doorway. "What?"

She let out a sigh of relief, "Thank God, I thought I was kidnapped or something." She stretched her arms above her head. "Where are we?"

"Celestic Town. I have a house out here."

She laid back down on the bed. "Okay. I don't remember much."

"What _do_ you remember?"

"I remember watching Wonder Girl Vampire. Nothing after that, though. What time is it?"

Aaron looked at his phone screen. "Almost nine. I got a pizza, come and get some while it's hot."

Whitney kicked off the blankets, slinking her way out of the bedroom.

The house was on the small side; the kitchen and the living area were fairly close together, and those were the only rooms out there. In the living area, there was a fire roaring in the fireplace. She smiled. This was perfect.

Aaron looked at her standing in the doorway. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. This is just really nice."

He smirked, walking up to her and resting his hands on her hips. "No one can find us here." He kissed her gently, Whitney leaning into his body. She could stay for the night. She'd call Maylene in the morning, tell her that she's okay. But she wasn't leaving. She was in love with Aaron, and in love with the seclusion. It's just what she needed.

XXXX

She woke up in Aaron's arms and everything felt right.

Her body was peppered with love bites and hot kisses, her hips bruised from Aaron's hands; he went a little rougher than usual last night. But this 100% made up for it.

He shifted behind her, his grip loosening. Whitney squirmed out of his arms, walking to the bathroom. She closed the medicine cabinet, looking into the mirror. There were bite marks all over her collarbone, and a few on her neck. She traced her fingers over them, sighing. He didn't have to mark her up like this; she didn't understand why he was so possessive yesterday. She lifted up her shirt, examining the fine bruises on her hips. Yeah, she definitely needed to talk to him about this.

There was a knock at the door. She jumped at the sound.

"Just a minute." Whitney called, rushing to the toilet and flushing it. She ran the sink for a few seconds, switching it off and opening the door, greeted by Aaron's sleepy face.

"Morning."

"M-Morning." She walked past him into the kitchen, hearing the bathroom door slam. She rummaged through the fridge, pulling out a jug of orange juice. She glanced at the door when she heard the toilet flush, taking a long gulp from her cup. Aaron stepped out, shuffling into the kitchen. Whitney leaned against the counter, staring into her cup.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" She said.

Aaron dropped a PopTart packet on the counter, sitting at one of the stools opposite of her. "Go for it."

"Can you not be as rough as you were last night from now on? I have bruises everywhere."

He glanced at her, smiling. "I guess I'm just so in love with you, it turns me into an animal."

Whitney's face softened. Aaron leaned across the counter and kissed her. "I'm gonna go take a shower." He murmured against her lips. "Care to join me?"

She nodded, Aaron pushing himself off the counter and walking back towards the bathroom. She smiled. He said it. He _loves_ her! That's all she'd wanted to hear for the longest time!

She left her cup in the sink, heading towards the bathroom. He loves her. Everything in the world was right.

XXXX

She was bored.

Whitney had been abusing Aaron's Netflix account for a few hours, but now, she was bored.

"Aaaaaarrroooonnnn…" She whined. Aaron walked out of the bedroom, juggling keys in his hand.

"What are you 'Aaaaarooonn'ing me for?"

"I'm bored." She noticed his keys. "Where are you headed?"

"Gonna go to the grocery store. I haven't restocked this kitchen in months, we're low on food."

Sher perked up. "Can I come? I've been cooped up in here all day, I need some fresh air—"

"No!"

Whitney recoiled back into the couch, her face washing over in confusion.

"I…I was gonna bring you back a present!" Aaron said quickly, walking over to her and cupping her face in his hands. He grinned at her. "You don't want to spoil the surprise, do you?"

"Oh, I didn't know!" She giggled. "I'm sorry. Go on ahead, I'll just be here then."

He kissed her forehead and headed towards the door. "I'll be back soon." He called to her, shutting the door behind him.

She pulled her blanket back over her head, turning on an episode of Gossip Girl. "I'll just…be here."

XXXX

Aaron didn't come back for three hours.

Whitney started to worry after an hour and a half. This was a very small town, so the store couldn't be that far away, or that crowded.

She stood by the window at the two hour mark, dialing his phone. His voicemail came after two rings.

He finally came through the door at five, juggling full bags of groceries.

"Aaron!" Whitney exclaimed. "I was getting worried. What took you so long?"

"Don't worry about it." He said from the kitchen, sorting the groceries into their appropriate place. Whitney stood up from the couch, walking to the counter.

"What do you mean, 'don't worry about it'?"

"I said what I said."

She blinked. "Are you hiding something from me?"

Aaron placed a box of cereal on the counter, looking up to the ceiling and sighing. He looked back at her, his face firm. "You don't trust me or something?"

"Of-Of course I trust you!" Whitney replied. She took a step back. "I just want honesty."

"You want honesty?" Aaron barked. "I'm always honest with you! I can't believe you don't trust me. I thought you loved me, and now you think I'm hiding things?"

"I do love you!" She relaxed her shoulders, shaking her head and wiping her hand over her face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything." She slinked back to the couch, a piece of her wanting Aaron to follow her and apologize, and hug her and tell her he was wrong. He didn't.

She had hope that maybe that present he told her about would make it all better, but a present never came. He rammed into her ferociously that night, to the point where she felt sick afterwards. Whitney loved Aaron, and he loved her too; maybe she could fix this. She had to try.

XXXX

Three days went by, and she couldn't find her phone.

"Aaron?" She called from the bedroom.

"What?"

"Have you seen my phone? I wanna call Maylene."

Aaron poked his head through the doorway. "Why do you wanna call her?"

"I wanna let her know I'm okay."

He snorted, leaning against the frame. "She wouldn't want to hear from you."

Whitney straightened up. "What?"

"You said it yourself. She doesn't support you."

"I was just mad, I don't think that's true…"

"If it wasn't true, then she would let you and I be together. She doesn't understand, again, like you said." He beckoned her over, resting his hands on her hips. "Maylene doesn't support your decisions, which you're old enough to make. She's babying you, holding you back." He smiled. "I'm here for you, though. I'll support you no matter what."

Whitney looked down to the ground, Aaron pulling her against his chest.

"You're safe with me. I'll support you. Who else will?"

Her eyes shot open. He…was right. If Maylene wasn't there for her, who else would be?

She wrapped her arms around him, shutting her eyes as tears pricked at them. He was all she had. She needed him more than ever.

XXXX

A week had passed. Whitney was drained.

She hadn't slept well in days. 90% of her nights with Aaron ended with sex, which was taking a toll on her body. For the past few days she hadn't even reached orgasm, nor much cared to; she just let him in and let him finish, so she could try to sleep. But she usually never did.

But, she got to wake up to Aaron talking about how much he loved her and cared about her, how she was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. She'd grin into his skin and feel at peace. This was worth it. She was alive. She was okay.

She hadn't left the house since they got to Celestic, though. Aaron was afraid that Maylene called the police, and they would try and break them apart. Whitney could handle staying inside; Aaron was all she had left. She couldn't let that happen.

In the meantime, he was gone for a majority of the days they had been there, either going to the league, or buying her clothes, shoes, jewelry. He spoiled her rotten.

She was folding laundry in their bedroom when she heard buzzing.

Whitney looked around, dropping a shirt on the bed, she stood up, trying to follow the sound. As she maneuvered her way to Aaron's side of the bed, the buzzing got louder. She opened the top drawer of his nightstand. Nothing there. She opened the second, and there, with nothing around it was her phone, blinking 'low battery' and vibrating, begging to be charged.

She couldn't believe it. Aaron was hiding her phone from her.

The door slammed; right on time. She stormed out of the bedroom, holding her phone up.

"Have you been hiding my phone?"

"What, no hello?"

She rolled her eyes, "Hello, why the fuck have you been hiding my phone?"

"Because you're gonna call Maylene."

"And so what if I do!?"

"I was protecting you."

Whitney snorted, "From what?"

He exhaled sharply. "When you call Maylene, you're gonna get nothing that you want to hear. You want her to say, 'I love you and I'm sorry', right? You won't get that. She doesn't care about you. And she'll tell you that! She'll tell you to never call her again."

"She…She wouldn't do—!"

"She will! That's how Maylene is. She's blunt and harsh and will tell you the truth." He sighed, running a hand over his face. "I don't like fighting with you. I just wish you'd understand, I'm doing all of this for our relationship, because I love you. I love us, I love what we have. We have something real, and I wanna protect that, for the both of us."

Whitney was speechless. Maybe he was right. Maylene had never liked her and Aaron being together, so why would she care if she called her? She would look like an idiot calling her up.

"…I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Louder."

She looked up at him. "I'm sorry." She spoke up.

He grinned. "That's what I like to hear. I'm gonna start dinner. Pasta okay?"

She nodded, and he disappeared. She walked back into the bedroom, sitting on the foot of the bed. She put her hands over her face as tears spilled out. Maylene hated her. She looked at her phone, laying on her nightstand. She grabbed it suddenly, walking over to Aaron's side of the bed and putting it back in its original hiding spot. Calling Maylene wasn't an option anymore. It was her and Aaron against the world now. That's how it's supposed to be.

"I got you more clothes yesterday. I wanted it to be a surprise, but I got too excited." He called from the kitchen, "Check the dresser."

Her face perked up, walking over to the wood dresser across from the bed. She opened one of the drawers, running her hands over the silk robe and jeans. She shut the drawer, sitting back on the bed.

Was this her life now? Being cooped up in a cabin for the rest of her days? Was he worth all this? Was he really the one?

Whitney ran a hand over her face. She loved him. Of course she did. Did she love him enough to stay with him in this cabin? To dismiss his secrecy and lying when he's out for long periods of time?

She didn't know. And that's what scared her the most. She left Veilstone with utmost certainty that this was a good idea; now she had to look like a fool.

That night, Aaron ran his hand between her legs and Whitney pushed him away. She vaguely heard him grumble about intimacy was good for their relationship while he shifted back into a comfortable position. She was sick. She was tired. And she didn't know if what she wanted is really the right idea.

XXXX

Maylene was right. And Whitney knew she was right after a week and three days.

She sat on the couch at the end of her second week with Aaron, Tuesday, her face vacant and her body exhausted. He had his feet up on the coffee table, popping chips into his mouth while they watched Jeopardy. She wanted to test something.

"Aaron." She asked. Her voice was hoarse and lifeless.

"What?"

"What's my favorite movie?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. What's your favorite movie?"

She blinked, her jaw tightening. That's something she's mentioned to him before. "27 Dresses."

"Right, I knew that." He paused. "What's _my_ favorite movie?"

"Rocky IV."

He looked at her, a bit taken aback. "Yeah."

She turned away from him and back to the TV. It was the beginning.

She was leaning against him in bed the beginning of the third week on Wednesday, staring absently at her hands.

"What's my middle name?"

"…Paula?"

"Elizabeth."

She was cooking dinner and he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Where am I from?"

"Kanto."

"Johto."

Her jaw tightened as she stirred the stew. He clearly has never listened to her. This was stuff she told him the night they met, at Candice's birthday party.

She was quiet while they sat at the table and ate dinner.

"Stew's good." He said, breaking the silence. She nodded, scarfing down another spoon full.

"You okay?" Aaron asked. "You're usually pretty talkative at dinner. Especially when you make it."

She dropped her spoon in her bowl. "Why are we dating?"

He leaned back slightly, taken aback. "What?"

"Why are we dating? Why am I here?"

"Because we love each other."

"Do you love me?" Her face was stern. "Or do you love company? Do you love that you have someone to fuck whenever you want?"

Aaron was quiet, looking down at the table.

"Why should I stay, Aaron?"

The silence felt like eternity. Whitney basically gave up, digging into her stew again, avoiding looking up at Aaron. She glanced for a split second, seeing his shoulders shaking. He picked his head up, his face streaked in tears.

"Because I don't know what I'd do without you."

He took a shaky breath wiping a hand over his face. "I'm sorry you've been cooped up in here. I've never met someone like you before, and I love you so much. I can't lose you. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

He reached across the table and took her hand. "Please don't leave me."

Whitney blinked, pursing her lips together. "I won't. Don't worry."

He squeezed her hand, sniffling and grinning at her. "I love you so much."

She pulled her hand out of his grasp, getting up from the chair and putting her bowl in the sink.

"I'm going to bed."

"Okay. I'm gonna head out to see some people. I'll try not to wake you."

Whitney walked back to the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She was leaving as soon as possible. Tonight? Not tonight. She was tired. And she wasn't sure if there would be a bed for her if she did leave.

She didn't know what to expect.

XXXX

She sat on the couch on her third Saturday with Aaron, equipped with a gray hood thrown over her head. The news played on the TV, Aaron's hands resting on her thigh. He had to leave for the league soon; he usually begged for sex at this time. Hell, he begged for it for the whole week. He didn't let her sleep some nights with his hands wandering her body, his erection pressing against her. That's all she was to him; a sex toy.

She was done with Aaron. She was done with this cabin. She was done with this cloudy idea of a 'life together'. He was manipulating her. He was controlling her. He limited what she ate; he cut her off from the outside world. This wasn't what she wanted.

Whitney took deep breaths; having Aaron's hand on her body made her completely uneasy and sick.

"I'll be at the league longer than usual today." He said, running his hand up and down her thigh. "I expect some much needed intimacy when I get back."

She exhaled sharply through her nose. "We'll see."

"We'll do, is what you meant."

She bit her lip, keeping her eyes on the TV. He turned her face towards him and kissed her, hand running over her cheek. She kissed back, her stomach in knots.

He hoisted himself off the couch, taking his keys off the kitchen counter and heading towards the door.

"Love you."

Her eyes went back to the news. "Mhm."

The door shut. She didn't move.

An hour had passed when Whitney finally got up off the couch. She needed to wait until he was gone and at the league before she would do anything. She was worried he would come back to the house.

She walked into the bedroom, stopping at the doorway. She was going to take her phone from Aaron's nightstand, but she knew he would call her. She could block his number, but she didn't want to risk anything. She needed him out of her life, and her phone would only bring him and their memories and text messages along with her.

She turned back around and walked towards the door. She placed her hand on the knob, and took another deep breath.

This would be the first time she had been outside in a little over three weeks.

She swung the door open and the sun was blinding. She could hear Starly and Pidgey chirping. A breeze skirted through her hair and under her hood.

Aaron didn't even open the windows of the cabin. He always told her he was afraid someone would see or hear them, and call the police and take her back to Maylene. The more she thought about it, the more Whitney realized how ridiculous he was. And still is. She believed his shit for too long.

She stepped outside, slamming the door behind her. She hadn't even taken ten steps outside and she already felt a giant weight leave her chest. She started towards Route 210, her head hung and her hands stuffed into her pockets. Tears welled up in her eyes, falling to the ground. Maylene was right, and it was time to face the music.


End file.
